Torn
by snelbyshyder
Summary: When Rosemarie Mazur was taken from her home, she had a pretty good idea that she'd never be returning. What she didn't expect was where she was being taken to. Now, it seems with no one to count on but herself, she must keep her head above the water and fend for herself as she's taken to the Palace and paraded around as the new toy for the Crown Prince. AU. Updates on Thursday
1. Prologue

Screams.

That's the first thing I heard when I regained consciousness.

Smoke.

The first thing I smelled.

Shock.

This is what kept me from moving or even opening my eyes. My head throbbed.

I had the distinct impression of movement. I just laid there, feeling the uneven bump of the wheels on the gravely road leading out of my village. I didn't move or even stir for what felt like hours, but finally the stench of burning bodies dissipated. I also realized I could no longer smell the sea.

My home land, Serelyan, was the country on the coast of the Kerakin Sea. I spent my childhood at the beach with my father. After the War of Many Years ended, there was what seemed like a moment of peace and tranquility in our land after war and bloodshed tore the land apart. In reality, that "moment" was 11 years. My mother died before I was even 3 years old. Apparently, "starving and trying to feed my family" isn't a good enough reason to steal a loaf of bread. This is the world I live in. Thievery carries the same punishment as capital murder: a bullet between the eyes. A single loaf of bread.

I barely remember her. I have glimpses of memories in my dreams. The only thing I vividly remember are her eyes. They were beautiful. A bright, deep emerald green. They sparkled when she laughed. They shone when she smiled. She could convey so much with just a look. The picture of her holding me that sat on our fireplace was taken on my 2nd birthday. The way I'm looking up at her proved that I adored her, so it seems unfair that I can barely remember this woman. The woman who suffered through 9 months to carry me. The woman who gave me her rations of meals for months and months because "I needed it more than she did". I remember how beautiful she was. Everything else I remember came from the mouth of my father. After her death, my father was a quiet man, only speaking when he saw it as absolutely necessary or as something important to him. My mother was one of the few topics he could talk in length about. There were nights I remember him sitting at his desk until the sun came up, writing down his memories of her. I could never bring myself to read them. I guess I regret that. I'll never have the chance now.

As the cart bumped along the road, without even opening my eyes, I felt my head spinning and lost consciousness again, getting swallowed into darkness I knew would be more comforting than whatever hell I was headed for. 

_Author's Note:_

 _Hello, party people! So this is an original piece that I've been working on and I decided to switch some names around and change up the story a little bit to make it apply to VA. I've already got around 9 chapters written and the entire story outlined, so I know where I'm going with it. I know this chapter is a bit short, but it was kind of like a prologue to make you understand what type of world this is set in. Obviously, it's AU. So please, review, give me a fav or a follow if you like it, and let me know what you think!_

 _-Shelby_


	2. Chapter 1

On the night before my 14th birthday, my father and I decided to take a walk to the beach about a mile from our house. About halfway there, he realized he was supposed to meet with one of our neighbors about a trade they were making. He never told me what it was about, just that he was trading one of our plots of land to him for the season in exchange for my birthday present. He sent me on ahead and told me he'd be right behind me, that he just needed to sign a few papers to put the deal in writing and set the allotted time that they would have use of our land. I ran ahead to the sea, feeling pride at being allowed to go by myself. When I reached the beach, I ran straight into the water to feel the cooling water on my feet and soft, wet sand between my toes. A wave crashed harder against the sand than I expected it to and drenched my pants. I slowly walked up the sand and sat down on the bench, waiting for my father. And I waited. And I waited. I decided to lay down on the bench and listen to the waves, one of my favorite things to do. It was then that I heard the screams.

They were faint, so quiet that unless I stopped breathing, I wasn't sure if I was really hearing them. I sat up and looked for my father. I searched the distance expecting him to run down the path from our homes any second. I stared for what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Before I saw them, I heard a noise I knew well. Horses were coming down the path and they were coming fast. I got off the bench and ran. I didn't know what I was running from, but I took off. This beach had always been my refuge and I knew where to go. Ignoring my racing heart and aching side, I pushed myself to run as fast as I could to the small tree line bordering the sand. I crawled up into a branch that looked like it could support my weight and stared. Soon, soldiers appeared from the path and stopped their horses short of the sand. I counted seven of them. I could still hear cries in the distance so I knew these men that were mere feet from me weren't the only ones, much less the most dangerous ones. Or so I thought.

One of the men dismounted and walked onto the beach, stopping at the bench and looking down. He looked back to the men behind him and jerked his head back down the path. All but one turned their horses around and ran back towards my village. The man who had stayed dismounted and walked to where the first man stood by the bench. I heard them speaking.

"Why didn't we go back with the rest of the group? There are no rebels here." He had a very rough voice. I didn't like it.

Rebels? Is that what he had said?

"Because there _is_ someone here, Zeklos. Look," he pointed to the sand at the base of the bench and slowly moved his finger to the water. "Those foot prints are fairly new. They're still wet. So new that whoever was in the water couldn't have gotten far."

A chill of fear ran down my spine. They were talking about me and they were right. I hadn't gotten far. I was maybe 20 feet from them, sitting in a tree, with nowhere to run.

I heard the man he had called Zeklos make a barking noise that I believe was supposed to be a short laugh. "Look how small the print is though. It's obviously from a child, Ivan. You heard the decree from King Nathaniel, women and children shouldn't be taken or harmed unless necessary. Chasing one into a forest," he pointed to where the footsteps lead to, almost exactly to the tree I was hiding in, "doesn't seem particularly necessary to me."

Ivan glared at the older man. "I don't want to leave any loose ends. There's few people left in this tiny village and the less the better. It's taken us months to cross Stolitsa and I don't feel like being sent back here because the King feels we did a mediocre job."

Zeklos turned his back on the younger soldier. "I won't have the blood of a mere child on my hands. If you want to go after it, then be my guest. However, while we've been having this pointless conversation, I'm sure whoever it is has had plenty of time to run, seeing as they know this land better than we do," he threw his voice over his shoulder as he walked back to where the horses were tied to a fence along the edge of the sand. "So good luck finding them."

With that, he mounted his horse and rode off, without so much as a second glance at the man he left standing on the beach. What he hadn't realized was that I hadn't run, I was so close that I could see the dark blood speckled across his left cheek, dried in his dark hair and I heard the audible sigh as he decided what to do. He ran a hand through that dirty hair, a piece refused to go behind his ear and kept falling in his eyes. He fought with it for minutes and this seemed like such a trivial thing for a murderous soldier to be upset about.

I could also see how handsome he was. And young. His eyes were a shining blue, a contrast to the dark brown of his hair. It wasn't shaved short to his head as most of the soldiers I'd ever seen had been. It was just long enough that it skimmed his cheekbones, cheekbones that were far too prominent and defined to belong to a lowly soldier. With his bone structure, he looked like he should've been a part of the royal family, if not a distant relative. His jaw looked strong and the set of it told me he was struggling with what to do. I'd never seen a man I thought was so beautiful. All the boys in the village that were my age were gangly and awkward. I was leaning forward to get a better look at him before I knew what I was doing. There was a quiet "snap" as one of the smaller branches broke as my bare foot moved onto it and it fell to the ground.

He looked back to the small line of trees I was hiding in and looked up, as if he was looking directly at me. I knew that was impossible though. I'd played hide and seek on this beach thousands of times. I knew the cover from the leaves and the darkness from the lack of sun above would obscure anyone this high up. Regardless, I held my breath, not wanting to make the slightest move to alert him of my presence. After a few minutes, he started to take a step forward toward my hiding place, shook his head, and turned back to where his horse waited. He got on his horse and stared back at the beach, before riding away.

I couldn't move. I still couldn't breathe. I just listened as the sound of the horse's hooves grew fainter and fainter until all I could hear was the ocean's waves, lapping at the shore. And then I realized that that was all I could here. There were no cries of pain. And it didn't take long before I began to hear cries of agony and grief.

 _Author's Note:_

 _So what do you think? Any idea what's going on? Review and tell me what you think is happening in the village and I might give you a hint!_

 _-S_


	3. Chapter 2

_AN-_

 _I wanted to go ahead and post this cause I'm super happy with the response I've had to the first couple of chapters! It's also a bit on the short side, so I'll be updating with the next chapter on Thursday, per usual._

I sat in my tree for a few more minutes, waiting to be sure that no one was going to come back, regardless of whether that was rough Zeklos, handsome Ivan or any other person in the "Great King's" army. I quickly climbed down and landed with a quiet thud on the leaf covered ground as my foot slipped off the last branch. I jumped out of the tree line and turned toward my village. I ran as hard and fast down the path as I could. By the time the houses and shops came into view, my head was pounding and my side aching. I expected as much, knowing I'd run more than a few miles in the past hour or two. What I didn't expect was to see bodies, all along the edge of the road. People huddled around dying or already dead figures. I heard groans of pain and all I could do was pray the suffering for those would end soon. I saw the twin boys, Alexander and Sergei, from my class at school crying over their mother's lifeless form. Sergei was holding her hand and Alexander was smoothing her hair off of her forehead. It wasn't until their father came out of their house with a white sheet to cover the body that I realized I had stopped in the middle of the path and was staring. I didn't know what to say. Their father saw me standing there and, though there was pain in his eyes, something changed when he looked at me.

He was looking at me with pity.

Pity.

Why would a man who had just lost his wife be looking at me like I had lost everything in the whole world? Unless…

No.

Tears began to form in my eyes before I'd even turned to run to my house.

"Please. No. No," I silently cried as I ran. The sun was starting to set and the temperature was beginning to drop. The wind made the skin where tears had been burn, and I furiously wiped my tears away as I rounded the corner onto the road my land was on. When I got home, I couldn't let my father see me cry. I had to be strong so I could tell him what I had heard the soldiers say. I ran through my front yard and burst through the door.

"Daddy?!" I yelled as the door slammed into the wall. I would get in trouble for that, but I would deal with it later. "Daddy, where are you?!"

I ran through the house, searching every room. I ran back outside and looked around, and that's when I heard it.

There was a quiet coughing coming from around the side of my house.

"Daddy?" I whimpered, slowly making my way to where I'd heard the faint noise.

There, crumpled on the ground, was my father. He wasn't the only one, however. The family who lived next door was lying on the ground around him. The whole family.

I ran to his side, stepping over the bodies of the mother and the young girl I'd watched grow up since she was born 4 years ago. The father and their older son were both lying face down in front of them, bullet holes in the back of their heads. The son had two arrows in his back as well. I think he was 2 years older than me. Michael is his name. Well, was.

"Rosemarie…" my father whispered, as I took his hand. He was bleeding from his side and I tried to put pressure on it, causing him to grimace.

"Daddy," was all I could choke out between my sobs.

He reached up and touched my face, brushing my hair out of my eyes. At some point, it had started to fall out of the bun I had wrapped it in on top of my head.

"Rose… Listen," he said, breathing heavier and heavier with every passing second. "You're not my-"

He began to cough again and I felt blood spray face.

"Daddy, what?" I asked, cradling his head in my lap. I thought maybe I'd seen someone do that before when someone was coughing. It couldn't hurt, right? "What am I not?"

His eyes went cloudy as he was looking at me. "Janine…"

With that one word, I knew he was no longer looking at me, but thought he was seeing my mother. "You look so much like her…" he said, in a choked whisper. He reached his hand up to my face again, and this time I held it there with my own. "Janine…"

"Daddy, please don't," I whispered, as fresh, hot tears spilled down my cheeks. "You can't leave me. You're all that I have…"

With a sad, pained smile, he began to cough again, as I buried my face into his calloused palm. I sobbed, breathing in his scent, committing it to memory. I closed my eyes and inhaled as I felt his hand go limp and heavy in my own. I snapped my eyes open and saw that his had slipped closed. They didn't reopen.

 _AN (again)-_

 _So if you guessed that her dear father was going to pass away, you were right. I know this story has been super dark and depressing so far, but hey, it's always darkest before the dawn! Please leave me a review and let me know how you're liking it so far! Also, if you have any ideas or constructive criticism, please, feel free to leave it in a review or shoot me PM! Until Thursday, lovelies!_

 _-S_


	4. Chapter 3

Nothing was ever the same in Serelyan after that day. Soon, we found out that the king sent his armies to stomp out the "rebels" he'd heard rumors about, all across Stolitsa. He ordered his troops to cross the continent and end the rebellion. Serelyan, being one of the farthest countries from the capitol city of Westhaven, in Aliyore, had its fair share of rebels, but my little village did not. One or two people believed in the movement, but wouldn't admit it. That didn't stop the soldiers though. They were given orders and they carried them out: if anyone gives you resistance, kill them.

After the War of Many Years, our world was a different place. The monarch became more controlling and harsh. King Nathaniel took the throne after his father died and everything went to hell. We lost what little freedoms we had. Soldiers came and went from our village. They came into our homes without hesitation, ate our food and slept in our beds. If anyone objected, they were either killed or taken back to the Royal Court in Westhaven as a slave. If you kept your head down and did as you were told, the soldiers wouldn't give you a second glance. Anonymity was the best you could hope for.

Once the soldiers left that day and the dust settled, the survivors in our village came together. We gathered the bodies, buried our dead, treated the injured and tried to heal. Many people were lost that day, cutting our already small population almost in half. Regardless of what I had heard Zeklos say, many soldiers didn't spare the women and children. Nearly a quarter of the dead were defenseless children who were killed because they were trying to run to their parents or women who were trying to protect their families.

Everything deteriorated after that. Once a tightknit community, where we would do anything for one another, distrust began to build. My village became a very hostile place to live. And I was on my own.

I stayed in my house for a while, mostly in shock. After a couple of days of sitting at my kitchen table and staring at the wall, I broke. Sobs tore out of my throat and screams filled the tiny house I had shared with my father. I didn't speak to anyone for weeks. I went out to our land and continued to work like I did before, I rode my horse to the market, and I ignored the looks of pity I received. I traded crops for things I needed to live. I became the only person I needed, the only person I could trust. Eventually, I began to speak to people again. I found out about small children who had lost both of their parents and were now living on the street. I saw a woman who had gone insane because a single bullet had taken the life of both her husband and their weeks old infant. She wandered the streets at night, singing a haunting lullaby. At first, it terrified me. Eventually, it became a familiar, sad reminder that just like her, I was alone. When I passed her in town, I would always give her something, whether it was a small portion of my rations or what small amount of change I had in my pockets.

Years passed like this. The aftermath of that awful day was still being felt, 5 years later. Those children, who were barely older than babies at the time, were now thieves or street urchins. There were many less of them than there were after the massacre. Many had died, either from starvation or the elements. The insane woman died about 2 years after she lost her family. People said they could still her lullaby late at night for years.

The first year after was the hardest. As we all tried to adjust, there was a shift in our world. We all kept waiting for happiness and healing, but all we got was more and more sorrow. Broken families tried to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives, to pick up where they left off. Our population dropped even more that year. Many people took their own lives, feeling they couldn't go on without the ones we'd lost and felt utterly hopeless. For the longest time, every day, there was a new hole dug and there was someone else in mourning again.

At 14, I had to teach myself everything, how to cook, to sew, to hunt; to care for myself. The most important thing, though, was to defend myself. I learned how to fight and to use the old sword my father had. I learned how to use the old revolver I found under my father's pillow. I taught myself to use a bow while hunting and could hit a moving target, 50 yards away. As our home changed, so did everyone's mindset. I had to fight off and defend myself from boys and men who thought that because I was a young female, they were entitled to my body. By 16, I had matured enough physically to catch the eyes of nearly every male left in our village. For a while, I did my best to not be out at night. Most drank the memories away at night and on more than one occasion, I had to fight someone bigger and stronger than me as he tried to tear my clothes off of my body, right there in the middle of the street. Then I started to train daily. On top of working my land every day, this made me stronger than most of the men in our town. I could take down almost any of them without breaking a sweat.

However, 3 years to the day after the massacre, I learned that boys and men from a poor, starving village and soldiers in the king's army are two very different things.

 _AN-_

 _So here we go! Not much of a cliffhanger, but enough to make you try and guess what's coming._

 _I've had quite a few people message me to ask some questions, I'm going to answer the ones that were asked the most, so everyone knows what's going on._

 _1:_ _ **What time era is this in?**_ _There's really no set time era. It's an AU story, so I'm sorta just working off the image in my head. The closest thing I can think to describe it as is "Dystopian Meets Medieval". There are basic melee weapons used, as well as guns. But no cell phones or anything like that. So try to use your imagination, but if you have any questions, please, feel free to shoot me a message and ask! I'll do my best to answer anything you want to know without spoiling the upcoming story._

 _2:_ _ **Was Rose captured at 14 or later on?**_ _I think this chapter cleared up any questions about this one up, but just to be safe, no. She was left alone at 14, but isn't captured until later on._

 _3:_ _ **Is Ivan supposed to be Dimitri/Christian/someone else in the VA universe?**_ _I've gotten different variations of this question from multiple people. The answer is no, Ivan is Ivan. Dimitri and Christian are both coming and each have their own respective roles in this story. I couldn't remember exactly what Ivan was supposed to look like, so I took some creative licensure and described him as I wanted._

 _I've been trying to respond to everyone who reviews! It means so much to me that people are enjoying this story, especially since it's like my baby._

 _Is there anything you'd like to see happen in this story or any guesses you have what's going to happen later on? I know it's early, but let your imaginations run wild!_

 _This is the last chapter that's going to be on the short side, from here on out, they're going to be a bit longer and more in depth._

 _Until next week, lovelies!_

 _-S_


	5. Chapter 4

_AN-_

 _Hello, party people! So today is my birthday and as a gift to myself and to you all, I wanted to go ahead and update a day early, because I'm not sure if I'll have access to a computer tomorrow! My boyfriend is surprising me with a trip out of town and I have no clue where we're going! So happy birthday to me, and enjoy Chapter 4!_

I woke up and realized I was no longer moving. I chanced opening my eyes and saw blue, cloudless skies above me. I pulled my arm to touch my head, but it was stopped by the shackle around my wrist.

I shot up into a sitting position. There were other women sitting around me, all shackled like I was, either at the wrist or ankle. I, however, was shackled at both. The six women looked at me with wide eyes, and then flicked their eyes over my shoulder behind me.

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up," I heard. "I was afraid I had caused irreparable damage to you."

I tried to turn, but the shackles holding me in place limited my ability. They shook and clanged as I moved.

"Oh, sorry about those. We would have only held you by your wrist, but when one girl was able to take out four separate members of the royal guard, well," he stepped into my line of sight, "One can never be too careful."

He had beady, little eyes and short hair, shaved close to his scalp. He was unpleasant to look at. He looked me up and down, before reaching down and beginning to loosen my shackles.

"Well, even beat to hell and covered in dirt, you are a pretty one, aren't you?" he mused, letting his fingers linger on my ankle and beginning to slide it up my leg and under my tunic.

I spit in his face and kicked him square in the chest. He stumbled backward and wiped his face, looking shocked. He stepped forward and raised his hand to strike me. "You little bi-"

"Donovan!" A strong, accented voice yelled. "One order. I gave you one order. What was it?"

A very tall, dark haired man in full uniform stepped in front of me. His back was to me and I used the distraction to look at the other woman on the cart with me. They all had their eyes down, refusing to look at me. What was going on?

I looked around and saw small tents erected all over the field we were stopped in, roughly about 50 of them. One tent was sizably larger. It sat directly in the middle of the smaller tents. They formed what seemed to be a protective circle around the larger tent.

"Do not harm the women," I heard Donovan grunt back.

"And what were you raising your hand to do," the man in front of me asked. His accent wrapped around the words like a caress.

"She spit in my face and kicked me! I was-"

"I didn't ask what she did," he replied, shortly. "You are dismissed. Please send Lowell to watch the women and return to your tent. You are to report to night duty from here on out."

"But sir," Donovan started, before he was cut off by the man's strong voice.

"That's an order, Donovan. Do not make me repeat myself."

The beady-eyed man shrank under the authority of the man and made his way to a tent across the field. A gangly, thin man ran towards us from the tent and stopped in front of the man. I could only assume this was Lowell.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" the man asked, with a deep, booming voice that in no way matched his physique.

"Yes, Lowell, I need you to post guard over these women while Donovan is put on night duty."

"Of course, sir." He walked to the side of the cart facing the road, and turned away from us.

"Lowell," the man laughed, "while I appreciate your valiant effort to keep them safe from outsiders, it is not enemies who will attack them. It is our own men. Please post yourself where you can see the females and the tents."

Lowell turned bright red and positioned himself in the exact spot Donovan had been in just a few minutes ago. At the same time, the man turned to look at me and I stifled a gasp.

His handsome face was familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen it. The way his dark hair fell in soft waves to his chin; the deep, chocolate brown eyes that were now staring into my own; the angular cut of his jaw, strong yet soft at the same time. Though what really caught me off guard was how young he was. He was a member of the king's royal army and he couldn't be older than 25, and honestly, that was pushing it.

He continued to take off my shackles, while he spoke to me.

"Come with me. We need to get you cleaned up before we arrive," he said as he gently lifted me off the cart and set me on my feet.

"Sir?" One of the other women had spoken up. I looked at her. She looked to be about my age and she was extremely dirty. There was mud, or worse, caked into her blonde hair. She was frail and thin, her pale green eyes seeming too big for her gaunt face. "Where are we going? When will we be allowed to clean?"

"Be quiet," he snapped at her. It was such a contrast to the care he was showing me. "You will speak when you are spoken to."

She blanched and sank back onto the cart.

He held me protectively by the arm and began to lead me to the large tent in the middle of the camp. I touched the wrist where the shackle had rubbed my skin raw and was beginning to bleed. The men who were out of their tents and walking around looked at me like I was a piece of meat as the soldier took us deeper into the heart of the camp. He began to ask me questions but none of them were registering in my mind. I recognized this land. I had visited it once with my father. By looking around, I saw the deep forest that led to the base of snowcapped mountains. We were in Thoraln. It was the country bordering Serelyan. I realized with a start that if I was no longer in Serelyan, there was a chance I'd never be back in my home land. A single tear rolled down my cheek. This is all I would allow, I would not break down. I schooled my features into a hard mask as the man looked at me.

"Have I said something that upset you?" He asked, noticing the tear. He moved to wipe it away with his gloved hand. I flinched away.

Sensing my discomfort, he stopped walking and looked at me. "You have not answered a single one of my questions. Do you not speak English? Do you understand what I'm saying right now?"

I was looking into his strangely familiar face and all I could do was nod.

"So you speak English?" He asked. I nodded again.

"Oh…" he said, as understanding lit his features. "You're a mute. You can't speak." I fought the urge to make a face at him or answer him when I realized what this might mean for me. "I guess it's for the best. From that village we took you from, I would've guessed you would sound like a savage."

Maybe staying quiet would've been the best idea, but I wouldn't be insulted without firing back.

"Actually," I said, in a loud, clear voice, pulling my arm from his, "I can speak, quite well, in all honesty. Probably better than some of the brutes you have as soldiers."

He just looked at me with a single raised eye brow, as I spoke again. "And since you've spent the past few minutes berating me with questions, I think it's only fair if I'm allowed to ask you one."

He looked at me with an amused expression, while the soldiers around us looked disgusted at my brash attitude. "And what question is that?

I pondered everything going through my head. Where are we exactly? What happened to my village? Who are the other women chained up and why are they not allowed to bathe? How did he have such authority over soldiers twice his age at such a young age? I settled on one that seemed basic enough, even if it had already been asked in the past few moments.

"Where are we going?" I asked, as he took my arm again and led me into the tent, letting the fabric fall over the opening behind us.

"We're on the way to the royal palace in Westhaven." With those words, he confirmed my fears. I was being taken to be a slave in the palace. I had heard horror stories of the slaves that work in the kitchen and never see the light of day. Of course, these were just stories and I had no way of knowing whether or not they were true, but they still struck fear in my heart. I could only hope that maybe I would be able to work in the fields or stables, rather than in the palace itself.

"So why are you taking the time to have me cleaned and bathed to be a slave for the royal family? Isn't that just a waste of time?"

He looked at me and a look I can only describe as jealousy crossed his features before he hardened it back into the face of the man who had snapped at the young girl on the cart.

"You are not being taken to the palace to be a slave," he spat. All the kindness and warmth he had shown me earlier was gone. He was no longer gentle when he shoved me down into a chair. "You are to become the mistress, property, and one day, wife of his royal highness, the Crown Prince, Adrian Ivashkov."


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Vampire Academy and all its characters are owned by Richelle Mead._

I stared at the soldier, mouth agape, waiting for him to laugh and tell me where in the castle I was actually to be assigned. He just stared back at me.

"I'm sorry," I said, standing up and placing my hands on my hips. "But I must have heard you wrong. It sounded to me like you said I'm to be the prince's property."

He put his hands on my shoulders and roughly sat me back down. "You heard me right and you know it."

"I am nobody's property!" I yelled at him, standing back up and moving to the side before he could push me back into the chair.

"The King ordered us to take one young lady from every country as concubines," he said, grabbing my wrist. "However, the loveliest one of them was to be given to Prince Adrian as a personal concubine. The royal guard has decided that you are the one to be chosen. Eventually, after you've been trained and taught how to act at the Royal Court, you'll be introduced as the Prince's fiancé."

"I will do no such thing! I am not some trinket to be given as a gift to someone!" He moved to grab my hand and I snapped. I slammed my elbow into his jaw and took advantage of the distraction as he stumbled back. I grabbed him by the arm, dug my shoulder into his ribs and thrust my weight up. He flipped over me and landed on his back with a groan. I put my bare foot against his throat. "I am nobody's property," I repeated.

He caught his breath and shoved my foot away. "You have no choice. You have nowhere to return to." He climbed back to his feet but left a few feet between us now.

"What do you mean?" I asked as the blood drained from my face.

"You're from the small village on the edge of the Kerakin, correct?" He rubbed his ribs where my shoulder had slammed him. "I wasn't with that party, but from what I understand there's nothing left."

I couldn't say anything. I couldn't breathe. Nothing left?

"Reed Lazar, the man you had the pleasure of meeting earlier, was in charge and reported back and told us that your village had been burned to the ground."

The look on his face made me sick. Was he getting some twisted enjoyment out of giving me this news? His face was completely unreadable. "There was no one left either. Everyone either ran or was killed when they fought back."

I sank to my knees. _Nothing left. Burned to the ground._

I felt the tears fall again. This time there was no stopping them.

He lowered himself next to me on the ground. "What is your name?" He whispered, pushing the hair off my forehead.

I jerked away from his touch. He pulled back. I stood and looked down at him. "My name is Rose."

He stood and it was then that I noticed how tall he really was. He was at least a full foot taller than I was.

"Rose," he said, whispering my name like it was a prayer. I was mesmerized by his eyes again. They were deep pools of a warm, chocolatey brown. He tentatively brought his hand up to my forehead and touched my temple. A sharp stinging accompanied by a throbbing hit me as his fingers grazed my skin. I took a sharp breath in through my teeth. He pulled his hand away and I saw blood on his fingers. I wasn't aware I was bleeding or injured until that moment.

"A bath was poured for you, Rose. One of the girls from a village near yours will become your handmaiden. I'm going to select her now. She will be in shortly to help you bathe and dress. I believe you'll find yourself more sore than you anticipate," he said, turning to walk to the tent's entrance.

"Wait!" I called, taking a step towards him instinctively. He turned and looked at me.

"The girl on the cart, the one that spoke earlier," I paused, making sure he knew who I was talking about. "I want her."

He just looked at me for a moment, before nodding his head. "Expect her momentarily."

With that, he walked out and left me alone with my thoughts.

I looked around the tent and couldn't help but notice how nice it was. The effort put into this particular shelter compared to the ramshackle tents the soldiers were staying in was apparent. I made my way over and sat down on the huge bed that took up almost half of the room. I sat and focused on my breathing as I listened to my surroundings.

There were the normal sounds of nature, the soldiers talking, orders being barked, laughing and yelling. It almost sounded like a party.

I could hear bits and pieces of conversations as people came closer and farther from the tent.

"…I mean, I understand she was taken from her village, but you'd think she'd be a little more grateful to be going to the palace…"

"…Did you see Anthony Badica's arm? He's going to have to have stitches. She got him good with that sword. I'm glad I wasn't sent to take her."

"Badica's arm? How about Belikov's face? He went into that tent fine and came out with a black eye and a limp. Belikov, the god. The Prince is going be pissed when we bring a wild girl back to him…"

As I sat on the bed, listening to everything around me, the tent got darker and darker as the sun went down over head. The glow from the numerous campfires around the tent had enough illumination that I could still see around me.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there when the opening was pushed to the side and the soldier from earlier came into the tent, holding the blonde girl from the cart by the arm. He wasn't being gentle with her by any means, but it seemed most of the hostility from earlier had been tamed. That unreadable mask was back on his face. The tears were flowing freely down her face and she had a terrified look on her face that she was, unsuccessfully, trying to hide.

"This is Vasilisa." He let go of her arm and she stumbled a step towards me, before falling to the ground. "When we reach Court, she will be your handmaiden and servant. She will begin her services to you now by helping you bathe and bandaging your wounds."

He lit a number of torches around the room and everything became bright and clear again.

He helped her stand and walked her in front of me. "The bathing chambers have been set up in a tent behind this one. It connects behind that tapestry," he said, pointing to a vibrant cloth, obscuring the opening. "The guard will be leaving at dawn."

He looked at Vasilisa. "Have her bathed and in bed within 2 hours." He handed her a small can. "Put this salve on her wounds. She can't have any scars on her face."

He looked at me, pushing my hair off my face, looking at the wound on my forehead again. To look into his face, I had to tilt my head up. "You shouldn't need stitches. It looks mostly superficial." He whispered it so quietly, I wasn't sure if he was saying it to reassure me or himself. It was so gentle and he sounded pained. He muttered something quickly in another language and let go of my face.

He turned to leave, but I caught his arm. "What?" He said, coldly, without turning around. It was such a change from the way he had acted seconds before. It caught me off guard and I dropped my hand quickly. I quietly said "I don't know what your name is…"

He sighed and turned to face me, unleashing the full force of those deep brown eyes. "Belikov," he said. "My name is Dimitri Belikov."

 _AN-_

 _So most of you guessed that the tall, handsome soldier was Dimitri. I mean, who else would it be?_

 _I'm taking the reviews to heart, and I'm making the future chapters a bit longer, since that was the criticism I received the most! Hope you're enjoying the story, feel free to message me if you have any questions!_

 _-Shelby_


	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Vampire Academy and all its characters are owned by Richelle Mead._

As soon as Belikov had left, I ran to Vasilisa. I sat next to her on the cloth covered ground.

"Can you stand?" I asked her, as I took in her changed appearance. She was no longer dirty, her pale, blonde hair had been pulled back off of her face, showing me just how pretty she was. Angelic features were highlighted by the green eyes I had noticed earlier. She still had on the plain, tan shift dress, and I couldn't see any wounds on her. It seemed she had come peacefully with the soldiers while I fought, tooth and nail.

She nodded and I helped her up. She seemed steady on her feet, so I let go of her arm. "I'm Rose," I said, looking up at her face. Pale, tall and slim, she looked like the people who had visited my village years ago, from across the continent. I couldn't remember what country they were from at the moment. "Can I do anything for you, Vasilisa?"

"It's Lissa, please." Bowing, she said, "I'm here to serve you, ma'am."

Ma'am? No, I couldn't handle that.

"Lissa, no," I said, touching her shoulder. She flinched. "Please stand up. Stop. Don't bow to me."

She looked at me, confused. "But I'm your handmaiden, ma'am. I'm supposed to serve you."

"That doesn't mean you're inferior to me," I said, sitting back down on the bed. I was uncomfortable with this whole situation. I still hadn't had time to grieve for my village. My heart was breaking more and more with each minute that passed.

"I'm to help you bathe, ma'am?" She asked, holding her hand out to me.

"Please, stop with the 'ma'am' thing," I said, standing up. "It's Rose, remember?" I smiled at her.

She smiled back, which I took as a good sign. It faltered slightly though as she looked at the door. "But that soldier, he told me I'm to treat you like a princess. I don't…" she bit her lip. "I don't want to get in trouble…"

"Well, it's a good thing you're my handmaiden and not his," I said, giving her a wink. "My first job for you is to forget what he said. Treat me like you would a friend. I'm no better than you."

She smiled at me again and, to my surprise, hugged me. I froze for a second, before wrapping my arms around her and hugging her back. She pulled away and I asked, "What was that for?"

She gave me a sad smile and a silent tear ran down her cheek. "I've been chained to that cart for almost 3 weeks. Not a single person, even the other girls, have pretended I was there, spoken to me, or shown me any kindness." She stopped when she saw my expression. "So thank you."

I smiled and it was then, in close proximity to her, that I realized that I desperately needed a bath. I hadn't bathed in at least 3 days, and I had fought and been chained to a cart in the boiling summer sun. I took a quick step away and apologized. "I am so sorry, Lissa. I must smell awful, let me go bathe and I'll be back."

Taking a step towards me, she said "But aren't I supposed to help? It's not a problem, friends do that for each other, right?"

I appreciated her concern, but I needed the privacy of the bath for the breakdown I knew as coming.

"I can handle it, I promise," I said to her, smiling to relieve the anxious expression on her face. "My handmaiden, not his, remember?"

I told her to relax while I was gone and that I'd be back. I passed through the tapestry and found a "room" with a large tub. The tub took up at least ¾ of the room, leaving just enough space for a step stool, shelving with towels and soaps, and perfumes and oils on a table to the side. Each bottle had a different label. Jasmine. Vanilla and Lavender. Cherry Blossom. Rosewood. Apple. Freesia. I took the cap off of the bottle labeled "Lemon and Ylang-Ylang" and took a tentative sniff. It had a sweet smell, but also refreshing and bright. I poured a little into the water and the room filled with the scent. I inhaled it and closed my eyes.

I pulled my dirty tunic over my head and dropped it on the floor. My bra and underwear joined it and I put my hand in the water to test it. It was hot, but not enough to burn, just to soothe sore muscles. I sank down into the water and let my mind wander.

I thought of my village, the things I'd never see again. My home, with the pictures of my parents. My horse, Bolero, who had been my companion since I was 8 years old. The people, who I traded with and saw daily. My father's grave, behind the church, buried right next to my mother. I'd never be able to visit them again. My father's journal would have burned with the rest of my house. My bow, sword, everything. All of my weapons. Everything was lost.

I didn't care if Lissa could hear, a single sob ripped out of my throat as I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my forehead on my knees. Another sob followed and the tears began flowing freely down my face. I cried and cried, shaking as the sobs wracked my body. I cried for my village, I cried for Alexander and Sergei, hoping they got away, I cried for the children, I cried for the girls still chained to the cart I had been brought to this place on, I cried for Lissa, and for her family, if they were still alive, missing their daughter. I cried until there were no more tears to cry, until the water was chilled and I was shivering. I just sat there numb, for God knows how long. I eventually reached over to the shelf and grabbed a bottle of soap, lathering it in my hands before washing my hair and body. I slipped under the water and held my breath as long as I could, listening to the muted noises around me from under water. I stayed under until my lungs hurt and I was light headed. I sat in the cold water until I was no longer dizzy, before I climbed out of the water and wrapped a towel around my dripping body. It wasn't luxurious by any mean, just a length of fabric, but it was the softest thing that had touched my body in years.

I wrung my hair out and watched as the droplets of water hit the ground. My dark hair was long, reaching nearly to my waist, stopping at the middle of my back. I braided my hair, knotting it at the end when I couldn't find anything to bind it. I tightened the towel around my chest and walked back into the main room, wondering if Lissa would have fresh clothes for me. I'd been sitting in the bath for so long, I was sure I had been there longer than the 2 hours she had to get me into bed.

I lifted the tapestry to the other room and was shocked to find not Lissa sitting on the bed, but Dimitri. I held the towel tighter and tried to pull it lower, seeing as it barely covered my naked body.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, as I noticed he no longer had his armor on, nor was his sword attached to his belt. His boots were off and he looked almost relaxed, but not quite. He seemed like the type to always be on his guard, regardless of the situation. He got up when he noticed me in the room and I saw a blush creep across his face as he took in my lack of clothes, before he turned away slightly, his hair hiding his beautiful bone structure.

"This is my tent," he said, his accent thicker than it had been before. He pointed to a small table across the room. Atop it was a pair of plain lace underwear, a lace bra, but what caught my attention was the pale blue, silk night gown. I couldn't help the gasp that left my mouth. "That is for you to sleep in."

I walked over and picked it up, holding the luxurious material against my face and inhaled, closing my eyes. There was a deep, musky scent that smelled wonderful. I looked at him. "If this is your tent," I paused to look around as he took a sip of the tea on tea bed side table, "where will I be sleeping?" I didn't see a cot or a couch. I hoped I wasn't going to sleep on the floor. "Will I be in your bed?"

He choked on his tea, coughing and spitting it in a spray around him. After a moment, he composed himself. "No," he said, trying to keep from looking at me. "There is a room prepared for you off to the side of this one." He jerked his head in the direction of the opening that had been opened. _How large was this tent?_

"I don't want to impose on you," I said, letting some left over venom and anger from my earlier breakdown coat my voice. "I can sleep in a separate tent like the soldi-"

"No." He said shortly, cutting me off. My head shot up, looking at him. "I don't want you out there with them."

I stared at him, taken back by his outburst. He just looked at me. "The men. They will…try to take advantage of you," he said, his eyes sliding down my body.

Typically, when a man looked at my body the way he had, I felt disgusted and it would usually end with a punch from me and a broken nose for him. But I felt an unfamiliar warmth inside of me as he gazed at me. His brown eyes looked almost black as he looked back to mine. I was holding my breath without realizing it, and I let out a gust of air.

"And you won't?" I asked, breathlessly.

He looked away from me and shook his head. "I feel very protective of you. It's late. We're leaving early in the morning. You should sleep."

I took that as a dismissal and walked toward the opening.

"Rose?"

The way my name rolled off his tongue was like music.

"Yes?" I breathed, looking back at him, holding the towel to my chest.

"Please," he said, hurt visible across his face, "Don't cry anymore. It's all going to be okay." His voice was rough and he sounded like he was in pain.

He had heard me. He had heard me crying. I hadn't cared of Vasilisa had heard me, but for some reason, having Dimitri hear me cry made me feel self-conscious. I felt like he heard a very personal moment, a moment I had bared my soul.

With that, I walked into my room. I pulled the tapestry back down, put on the underwear, and crawled into the bed, forgetting the lavish nightgown that I wasn't worthy to have, and fell into a restless sleep.

 _AN-_

 _Hello, lovelies! I've been taking all of your reviews and listening to them, so I'm trying to make each chapter a little bit longer! I hope you're enjoying our little adventure with Rose. Soon, we'll be reaching the capital city and Royal Court and that's where all the drama will start._

 _Shout out to hbarker for being an awesome friend and helping me work out a bunch of the gaps and kinks in this story! She has an awesome story she's working on right now called Sunset & Roses, and you NEED to check it out. Seriously, do yourselves a favor. Go._

 _As always, thank you for reading and if you haven't yet, give me a follow or a favorite, so you'll know when I update my stories!_

 _So from now on, at the end of my author notes, I'm going to have a weekly question. One of my favorite authors, Gigi256, always asks a question at the end of her chapters and I think it's a great way to get to know your readers! (Also, shameless plug: go check out her DPOV stories! Seriously, some of my favorite stories on this whole site! She just finished Shadow Kiss and will be starting Blood Promise around the beginning of July and I CANNOT WAIT!)_

 _This week's question is_ _ **What is your favorite book-to-movie/tv adaptation?**_ _Doesn't have to be the best one you've ever seen! It may have been a God-awful rendition, but you love it! Mine are the Game of Thrones series or the Giver. The Giver movie is NOTHING like the book, but it caught my attention for some reason and I loved it. Shadowhunters is another good one._

 _Until next week, my friends!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Vampire Academy and all its characters are owned by Richelle Mead._

Fire. All I could see was fire. All I could feel was heat.

I was running through what seemed to be a maze, and no matter where I turned, all I saw was fire. There were flashes of familiar sights. My home, the tavern in town, the stables behind my house, the church I attended on holidays. Every once in a while, I'd see my paradise. There'd be an opening to the clear, blue water of my beach up ahead and then flames would block it, leaving me to scramble and run another direction. If I could just get to the beach, to the water, I'd be safe, I knew it. I passed by burning houses, charred trees, bodies on the ground, but the flames never stopped. Occasionally, I saw other people running, but I never recognized them, until I saw one man and stopped dead in my tracks. The young soldier from the beach. I couldn't remember his name, but, oh, I remembered his face. That familiar face, with the piercing eyes and the beautiful bone structure and the strong jaw line. When he saw me, he stopped running and stared at me. He yelled something at me, but I couldn't hear him. Then I watched in horror as the flames consumed him. They kept growing and growing, increasing on me until I would scream and they'd falter back, giving me a few minutes to run. All the while, from everywhere, but nowhere at the same time, I'd hear "It's all going to be okay…"

An opening in the maze was just ahead of me, and as I sprinted for it, I tripped and fell to the ground. The flames closed around me and I felt hands grabbing at my arms. I lashed out and tried to land a blow on whatever had ahold of me. Then someone began to shake me. The soldier appeared in front of me, pulling me towards the beach.

"Rose!"

I recognized his voice before I was even fully awake.

"Rose," he said, lightly shaking me. My eyes flew open and I shot up. The soldiers face transformed and Dimitri's appeared in front of me. He looked so much like the soldier, the only major distinction between the two were the deep, chocolate eyes staring into my own.

Dimitri was sitting in front of me, his hands still on my arms. Lissa stood behind him, looking worried. I looked from her face to his and back. She gave me a scared smile, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't return it. Dimitri turned to her.

"Go get her some water," he said to her. She nodded and left the tent.

"Rose, are you okay?" he asked me, pushing my hair off my face with one of his hands. It was falling out of the braid I'd tied it in. His other hand slid down my arm and was resting on top of mine. I was still breathing heavily. It was just a dream. It was just a bad dream. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing.

I took a deep breath. "I'm… I'm okay," I whispered, opening my eyes.

It was in that moment that I really looked at him. His face showed fear and worry, his jaw tight, not the hard, emotionless mask from earlier in the day. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of loose, grey pants. They sat low on his hips. I tried to keep from staring, but it was a lost cause. His entire body was tight, strong muscle. He looked like he had been carved out of stone. His chest and shoulders were broad, his arms flexed as he made the smallest move and his abs were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. _He_ was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I began to blush and looked down at his hand covering mine. I dared a look at his face and saw that he too was blushing, his eyes darkening.

That's when I realized the blankets had slipped to my waist and I was wearing nothing but a bra and panties.

I ripped my hand out from under his and pulled the blankets up over myself. My movements broke him out of the trance he was in and he stood and turned away from me, lifting the tapestry. "If you're okay," he started, "I'll be going back to bed."

As he moved, the muscles in his back tightened and flexed, rippling down, into the grey pants and towards what I would assume was a tight, firm-

"Rose?"

"Huh?" I snapped my head up and looked at his face as he turned to look at me.

"Will you be okay for the rest of the night?" he asked.

I simply nodded, unable to use my voice at the moment.

"Okay," he whispered, voice husky. "Goodnight."

With that, he let the fabric fall and disappeared from my sight. I laid down and tried to control my breathing.

 _Calm down, Rose,_ I told myself. _You've seen boys shirtless before._

Yes, boys. But he wasn't a boy. Dimitri was a man.

"Rose?" Lissa's small voice pulled my attention to the entry way. I looked up at her as she slipped in.

"I have some water. You should drink," she whispered, sitting next to me on the edge of the bed. She handed me the cup. I held it in my hand and looked at it. If only this water could extinguish the fire from my dreams. I sipped from it and Lissa stood up and walked towards the entry.

"Lissa, wait," I said, quickly. She turned and looked at me. "I…" I bit my lip. I didn't want to seem weak. "I don't want to be alone… Will you stay with me? Please?"

She gave me a soft smile and sat down on the bed, I scooted over and let her climb under the covers.

Having someone next to me calmed me down, but I couldn't fall back asleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the soldier's face before he was caught by the fire. He looked so much like Dimitri and I wasn't sure if the thought of the soldier or Dimitri being over taken by the fire was more terrifying.

After a few minutes, I heard Lissa's breathing even out and I knew she was asleep. I listened to the sounds outside of the tent, the crickets, dying embers of fires, the occasional cough or rustle from the soldiers. I laid there and looked at the ceiling until light began to filter through the fabric.

Day break came much earlier than I would've liked. I heard rustling from the main room and it only felt like a few minutes before Dimitri pulled the tapestry to the side and came in, a green tunic over his grey pants. He was barefooted, so he padded in silently. He looked surprised to find Lissa in my bed, but not as surprised to see me already awake.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered, sitting awkwardly on the edge of my bed.

I just shook my head. "Never went back to sleep," I said, sitting up, making sure to hold the blanket to my chest, lest we have a repeat of our encounter last night. His eyes shot from my face to my body, his cheeks turning red. He seemed to be remembering it as well.

"That was hours ago," he said, shaking his head and looking away from me. "You'll be exhausted for the ride today."

I shrugged. I didn't know what to say to that.

He inclined his head toward Lissa. "Wake her up, please. We need to leave soon and she needs to get you ready." He got up and walked out, not giving another glance to me

I sighed and got out of bed, slipping the blue night gown on. I quietly walked out of my room and through Dimitri's, towards the bathing chamber. He was nowhere to be seen. I splashed some water on my face and roughly rubbed. It's like I could feel the soot and smoke on my face from my dreams.

I went back into my room and found Lissa up and taking a bunch of small products out of a box. She was placing them on a vanity and smiled when she turned around and saw me. She helped me put on a simple slip dress, then motioned for me to sit on the plush chair in front of the vanity and when I had, she began to brush through my hair.

After what seemed like forever of pulling and pinning and brushing, but was most likely probably just an hour, she faced me back towards the mirror. I gasped at what I saw.

My hair was pulled up into a bun on top of my head, but there were curls and ringlets pulled out sporadically, framing my face and giving me a look of elegance. It had been teased at the crown and a purple jeweled headband was holding my bangs in place, off of my face. My lips were a soft pink, a color that just accented my natural lips and my skin tone. My upper eyelids had been lined in a deep liner that matched the headband and made my brown eyes pop. The blush on my cheeks gave me a soft, feminine look I wasn't used to. A few swipes of mascara completed my look, making my eyes look bigger instantly.

"Wow…" I breathed out, unable to say anything else at first.

Lissa just smiled at me knowingly.

"How did you…" I trailed off, turning my head to see the sides of my hair, where I noticed small intricate braiding from the nape of my neck and into the bun. I gingerly touched it, scared to mess it up.

"I would always do my mother's hair and makeup when she and my father would host dinners for the royals," she said, giving me a sad smile.

"Dinners?" I asked, as she helped me stand and we walked back to Dimitri's room, where a beautiful purple dress was hanging. It wasn't large and bulky, with a cage skirt, like I had seen most ladies of the court wear. It was sleek, and fit tight to the body, until it flared out at the hips. It was floor length and had sleeves that reached the middle of my forearm. It was a light material that flowed when it was touched and glimmered in the light. I absentmindedly ran the material between my fingers, wondering what it was. My thoughts were abruptly stopped when Lissa spoke her next words.

"My father was Lord Eric Dragomir, of Brixworth, first of his name and Warden of the North," She said, nonchalantly, moving to help me into the form fitting gown.

My eyes shot open and I got down on my knee in front of her.

All at once, I figured out why her pale skin and hair was familiar. Years ago, her family had come from the north, from Brixworth to Serelyan, one of the southernmost countries in Aliyore to meet with the head of my village to set up a trade agreement for supplies and crops they needed that wouldn't grow any farther north than a few villages from mine. Her name had been familiar when she introduced herself, but I never imagined that she was Eric and Rhea Dragomir's daughter.

"Lady Dragomir," I breathed out.

"No, no, no," Lissa said, pulling on my arm to stand me up. "Please don't." She looked to the opening of the tent to ensure nobody saw me bow to her. "I always hated that title and besides it's not mine to have anymore. King Nathaniel stripped my family of our status 4 years ago. I've been an apprentice to a tailor and dressmaker since then. You are the Lady now, not me."

She held the dress out for me to step into and I did, wanting to ask her so many questions. She began to lace the dress up, effectively cutting off my words - and my airways.

"Damn it," I gasped, as I braced against the chair for support as she tugged the strings through the next few loops. I heard a soft chuckle come from Lissa.

"You'll have the smallest waist in all of Aliyore when I'm done. My mother prided herself on her tiny waist," she said, turning me around when she was done. He eyebrows shot up when she looked at me. "However, she wasn't, uhm, blessed with the figure you have."

I looked down and saw that the corset style dress had shoved my breasts up, making my cleavage very prominent, borderline scandalous.

"Great," I sighed and put my hands on my hips.

Lissa looked at me and pursed her lips. "Give me just a minute. I can fix this."

She ran back into my room and I heard an audible rip before a rustling noise, followed by a clinking. I followed her after a couple of minutes and found her sitting Indian style on my bed. She had one of the many tapestries that had been hanging from the ceiling in her lap and was sewing it feverishly.

"Lissa?" I asked.

"Hmm?" She said, not looking up, continuing to sew. She picked a jeweled hair clip off of the bed next to her and began sewing it onto the fabric as well.

Lissa jumped off the bed and threw it around my shoulders. She clipped the hair pin at the front and stepped back to look at her creation.

With no more than 3 minutes, she'd managed to put together an exquisite cape, that managed to cover my chest yet remain tasteful.

"Liss," I said. "This is beautiful."

She smiled at me. "Thank you. 4 years as a seamstress' apprentice and you learn a few things."

I looked into the mirror again and could barely believe my reflection. The only word I could think to describe myself was regal. I truly did look like a lady of the court. While I did look beautiful, I didn't look like myself. Lissa saw my smile falter and touched my hand. "What's wrong, Rose?"

Turning to her, I shook my head. "This isn't who I am…"

She gave me a sad smile and pulled me into a hug. "It may not be who you used to be, but things are going to be different. Your entire life is about to change, but it's all going to be okay."

There was that damn phrase again. _It's all going to be okay._

Dimitri had said it before and now Lissa had as well.

I didn't know if she was right, if everything was going to be okay, but I did know she was right about one thing.

Everything was about to change.

 _AN-_

 _Alright, so how's 2,700 words for a longer chapter?_

 _I have to confess something to you guys. I had this chapter written weeks ago, but I keep all of my completed chapters on my computer at work. Someone from my office got a virus on their computer and somehow, it got into our company network. Almost everyone lost a few documents, but I lost the entire folder that had my completed chapters in it. I was so upset. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because I like this draft of Chapter 7 much better! But I'll be pretty busy for the next few days going back and rewriting everything I lost._

 _So this week's question:_ _ **If you could visit any past era in time for 24 hours, when would you visit?**_

 _I think it'd be pretty cool to be around during the 40's. World War II is such a fascinating period for me, but on top of that, the culture in America was interesting as well!_

 _Also, shameless plug here: I'm looking for a Beta! So if you've got a Beta profile, hit me up! It would be super helpful to have a second (or even third!) set of eyes to look at my chapters once I've gotten them written!_

 _As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review, let me know what you thought and if you haven't yet, hit me with a fav or a follow!_

 _-Shelby_


	9. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: Vampire Academy and all its characters are owned by Richelle Mead. The plot and storyline are mine._

Dimitri was right. By the time we left the tent and were given breakfast, I could feel my sleepless night catching up with me. As I sat eating the eggs someone had prepared for Lissa and me, I could feel my eyes slipping closed, staying closed a bit longer with each interval. I caught Dimitri looking at me while he drank coffee from across the way. I was worried about how I'd be able to ride and stay upright on a horse. Turns out I didn't have to worry about it for too long.

Once most of the tents were packed up, Dimitri led Lissa and me to the front of the line. There were two horses at the lead, with beautiful saddles on their backs. One was a large, black horse, probably the largest I'd ever seen. Strong muscles were visible everywhere and its deep, glossy coat was gleaming in the sunshine. It stood perfectly still, but still carried an air of grace. Its thick, black mane was long, and its ears twitched as we walked toward it. My eyes widened as we got closer, and I realized how much bigger it was than the one beside it. What this horse had in power and strength, the other was the definition of beauty and elegance. Not nearly as tall, but just as graceful while standing perfectly still, it was the color of champagne, shimmering and glowing in the sun. Muscles were just as prominent as they were on the other horse, but while the black horse was tall and built, this one was sleek and looked like it would be fast.

Dimitri broke away from us and ran a hand down the coat of the black beast. "This is Cherny," he said, the word rolling off his tongue.

"Does that mean something in your native tongue, sir?" Lissa asked, stepping forward and petting the horse's nose.

I expected him to snap on her again and waited. Surprisingly, he just smiled. "Yes," he said, with a quick laugh. "It means 'Black.' It's an original name, I know. How did you know?"

"I'm used to your dialect, sir. We had many people pass through Brixworth who spoke your language. When I was younger, I had a basic understanding of it. However, once the king took the throne, my father said it was no longer necessary for me to learn a second language."

Dimitri just nodded and looked off toward the open sky. After a second, he looked to me and motioned for me to follow. Lissa stayed with Cherny, running her fingers through the massive horse's mane.

We stepped closer to the light horse, and he began to pet its nose. "This is your horse."

My hand stopped where it had been poised to pet the beautiful horse's coat. "Mine?" I asked, quietly.

He gave a simple nod. "It is Prince Adrian's first gift to you. She has been trained to ride calmly from birth. She never spooks and never runs, unless instructed. She hasn't bucked once in her entire life. She reigns well, and is bit trained. She also knows verbal commands." He stopped and looked at me. I'm not sure what expression he saw, but one of his eyebrows rose. Damn, I always wanted to be able to do that. "Is any of this making sense? Have you ridden a horse before?"

I barked out a quick laugh and when people turned to look at us, I covered my mouth quickly. "Yes, I have ridden a horse before. I have my own, he-" I cut myself off. My voice was much sadder when I spoke again. "I _had_ my own horse. Bolero. I had him for 13 years."

I was looking at my feet, willing the tears brimming my lashes away, not wanting to cry in front of this man. He'd heard me once before; he didn't need to see the real thing. I looked up at him, and the emotion on his face was unrecognizable. I couldn't tell if it was sadness, pity, or both. Before I guess or touch the spot between his eyebrows where they furrowed together in confusion, that emotionless mask he commanded so well slipped into place.

"I'm sorry," he said, shortly. "I'm sure he was a wonderful horse."

I nodded and ran my hand over the horse's silky coat. "She's beautiful. What's her name?"

"That is for you to decide."

I looked at him. He was so much taller than me that to look at his face, I literally had to look up. I looked back to the horse, with her shining, glimmering coat. "How do you say "Glisten" in your language?" I asked, absentmindedly braiding a few strand of the long mane. I looked up at him and saw a small smile at my query.

"Blestet," he said, running a hand down the coat. "I think it is a perfect name for her."

"Blestet," I repeated, trying to put the stress on the same syllables he had. This earned a laugh from him.

It was not a chuckle, like he had done when Lissa had picked out his language earlier. What I got was a full on laugh. And it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

He brushed one of the curls framing my face behind my ear, and the tingling I felt where his skin brushed mine was intoxicating. "I know you must be tired. Can you ride on your own?"

I opened my mouth to tell him I was fine, but my own body betrayed me, picking that exact moment to yawn. He laughed again, a smaller, more intimate sound, and led me back towards Cherny.

"Vasilisa?" He asked, as we approached her.

She curtsied to him. "Yes, sir?"

"Can you ride Blestet for Rose? I'm afraid she would actually fall asleep on her horse's back if we let her ride on her own."

Lissa nodded, and made her way over to my horse and mounted it with no help. Fragile as she may have seemed when I first met her, now she seemed self-sufficient and strong.

"Where will I ride then?" I asked, turning to face Dimitri. I hoped I wasn't being put back on a cart for the journey to Court. I didn't know how long it'd be and that was not something I'd enjoy.

Without a word, he put his hands around my waist and hoisted me into the saddle atop Cherny. I squeaked in surprise and this got a laugh from him.

"Wait here," he said, a chuckle still coloring his voice, "I need to speak to some people before we move out."

I looked down at the hulking beast I was sitting on and back to him. For the first time in my life, I was actually a little afraid of a horse. He smiled at me.

"He's a gentle giant. As long as he's got you, you'll be safe."

"Not unlike you?" This earned another small smile from him and he bowed towards me, before turning, walking away and speaking to a large group of men.

Lissa was next to me with Blestet a couple of seconds later and gave me a reassuring smile. "You look beautiful."

I gave a small laugh. "Thanks to you." I looked down at my cape and dress. "Though to be honest, as beautiful as the cape is, and necessary," I added as an afterthought, "It's so hot."

Lissa looked down at the short sleeved dress she wore. She had been given something new to wear. Capped sleeves and a boat neckline were all that could be seen of the slip dress beneath the red and black fabric corset. There was no boning in hers, and I could see her easily take a deep breath in as she sighed. A loose, full length, black skirt finished it off, and I could see she'd been given black riding boots, similar to mine.

"Ladies have a different dress code than their maidens." Dimitri's cool voice caught both Lissa and I off guard, and we turned and looked down at him. There was a smirk on his face. "However, I don't remember hanging that cape up in my tent. It does look suspiciously familiar though," he said, throwing a quick look in Lissa's direction. She averted her eyes and distractedly played with the reigns in her hands.

I looked back over my right shoulder to say something to Dimitri, but he wasn't there. Next thing I knew, I felt hands both on the saddle horn in front of me and on the back of the saddle. Suddenly he was sitting right behind me. I gave him a wide-eyed glance as he nestled in, drawing in even closer. The only thoughts my mind could muster while breathing in his intoxicating scent was the way he looked last night.

"You might want to hold onto that," he said, gesturing to the saddle horn, as he picked up the reigns. His arms tightened around me, and everywhere we touched felt like it was on fire. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today." And with that, he dug his boots into Cherny's side and we took off.

It was an exhilarating thing. I hadn't ridden a horse at a full run in so long. The wind whipped at my hair, my face, and my clothes. But that wasn't the most exciting thing or the single thought blazing through my mind. All I could think about were Dimitri's arms around me and how they would subtly tighten occasionally. At one point, we were coming upon a curve, and instead of slowing down as I expected, he let go of one of the reigns and wrapped his arm around my waist. I didn't think it was possible for us to get much closer, but in that moment, my body was pressed tightly against his. My breath caught in my throat as I felt his armor pressed against my back.

We rode all day, only stopping to feed and water the horses, or for others to attend to personal business. Finally, we stopped to eat. The sun was starting to set, and Dimitri said we still had an hour or so ahead of us.

"So we'll eat and continue on?" I asked, as I ate the last few bites of my chicken. Lissa and Dimitri stared at me; looks of shock upon their faces. "What?" I asked, wiping my face, thinking I must have something on it.

"You ate half of a chicken in less than 2 minutes," Dimitri said, glancing down at his own. There were pieces gone, but as a whole, it was still recognizable. I looked to Lissa, who had barely touched hers, before looking at my own plate. There were just bones. I looked up and shrugged.

"So I eat a lot. I'm sure you do, too," I grumbled, looking down at my plate instead of at them. This earned a chuckle from Dimitri and a giggle from Lissa.

"Well, yes, but I'm a 24-year-old man," he said. "And I'm much taller than you."

I rolled my eyes. I was greedily eyeing Lissa's chicken, even though I'd just been ridiculed for my eating habits. She was poking at it with a fork, not really eating it. She looked up and caught my eye. Smiling, she held out her plate to me. I looked at her before smiling back and taking the plate.

"To answer your question from earlier," Dimitri said, between bites, "No, we will camp here for the night. That will allow the rest of the troops we left behind at the camp to catch up, and, more importantly, we will reach the castle in the morning."

The night was mostly uneventful. Lissa stayed without me having to ask, for which I was grateful. When the nightmare began again, she woke me before it drew me in completely. I slept restlessly after that, the sunrise waking me up moments before Lissa came to get me. She made me up again, anxiety setting in as she started her work.

Today, I would go to the castle. Today, my entire life would change. Today, I'd no longer just be Rosemarie Mazur. Today, I would become Lady Rose. Today, I would meet Prince Adrian, my future husband, the future king. Today, I would meet King Nathaniel, the man whose orders destroyed not just my life, but so many others. Today my life would change forever.

My jaw tightened as a thousand thoughts bombarded my mind. Lissa sensed my mood from my posture and decided I wasn't in the mood to talk. I was half out of it as she braided my hair and applied my makeup. A much more appropriate dress had been left for me today, however I chose to wear my cape again, proud of my friend's handiwork.

After eating, the soldiers began to pack up the tents. I walked to where Blestet was grazing in the fields, rubbing my hand along her soft, shimmering coat.

"What are we getting into, pretty girl?" I asked, more to myself, not expecting an answer.

So when I heard one, I jumped. "No one can answer that but you."

I quickly spun around to see Dimitri standing a few steps away from me. I looked at him as the full weight of his words sunk in. I nodded.

"Are you able to ride on your own today?" he asked, coming up and holding out a handful of hay for Blestet. She greedily chomped down.

"I should be able to manage," I said, touching the soft leather of the saddle. I fingered the thin reigns, careful not to tug on them. If she was bit reigned, the slightest pull would make her spin, regardless of if someone was in her saddle. "Will we run again?"

"Not if you're worried about it," he said, misreading my sadness as fear. "We have all day to get to Westhaven."

Truth be told, I wasn't afraid. I'd run a horse by myself a thousand times. It was exhilarating and thrilling, and nothing could compare to the bond between a rider and mount in that moment. I knew that the moment I crossed the city walls and was at Court, nothing in my life would ever be the same.

I would always have people with me. When ladies had visited our village, they always had entourages, in addition to their maidens. Aside from Lissa, I was pretty sure I wouldn't want anyone else following me around the castle.

I would have a set schedule and would be expected to be places based upon the whims of others. I would have to available at the drop of a hat, depending on the King or the Prince. This wasn't even factoring in the Queen and the lessons with her Dimitri told me I'd be receiving. She and a lady of her court would be helping craft me into a respectful lady, worthy of Prince Adrian Ivashkov – worthy of being the future Queen of Aliyore.

I wouldn't be able to train anymore. As insignificant as this was, it possibly upset me the most. Aside from the past couple of days, I'd trained in some way every day since I was 14. Whether that was with a bow or a sword, or just doing the work on my farm and throwing bales of hay. I stayed active. Running, specifically, was one of my favorite things to do early in the morning.

I nodded to Dimitri and looked from his eyes to his boots. I felt his hand on my shoulder. I looked back up into his brown eyes. "There's something on your mind," he said.

I tried to stop the humorless laugh that came out. "There's a lot on my mind, Comrade."

"Comrade?" he asked, confusion tinging both his face and voice.

I ignored his question and went on. "I've never had to be at someone's beck and call, and I've never had to look a certain way," I emphasized, pointing at my dress, "Just because it's what's 'appropriate'. I've never been the most appropriate person!"

"I can tell," he said, a small smiling playing on his lips.

I gave him a pointed look before stepping away and looking over the fields around us. "I won't be able to train anymore if I'm a lady," I said, quietly.

"Train?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, looking back at him over my shoulder. "I would train every day. Practice with my bow or sword. I'd run laps around my farm and ride Bolero. Hell, if I could buy ammunition, I'd practice my aim with my father's old pistol."

He didn't say anything, so I added with a small laugh, "How else do you think I was able to take down those soldiers when they captured me?"

He looked at me and then past me, at the field. He seemed to be in deep thought.

"Now there's something on your mind," I said, turning around to face him.

He continued to look out over the field, like he could see all the way to the Court, miles and miles away. Then he looked at me and slid that damn, emotionless mask back in place.

"We need to go," he said, turning to head back toward the camp.

I sighed and took Blestet's reigns in my hand, following Dimitri and leading the mare back. Without another word, he got on his mountain of a horse as I mounted Blestet. She didn't fidget or stir. She was poised and graceful, waiting for my command. I looked from her face to Dimitri. He returned my gaze, nodding as he understood my unspoken question.

He took off, Cherny flying through the field like black wind. I dug my boots into Blestet's side and gave a quick, verbal cue. She took to my quick 'kiss' noise and understood I wanted her to run. It took me no time at all to catch up to and pass Dimitri. Cherny might have been a powerful beast, but Blestet was a sleek and graceful arrow. I fell back and let him lead, seeing as I didn't know where we were going.

In little less than an hour, I began to see walls rise up from the horizon. I looked over at Dimitri. Knowing he was almost home, he picked up his pace. He stopped about a half mile from the walls. I couldn't seem take my eyes off of them.

I felt his presence as he sidled up next to me. I still couldn't pull my eyes away from the tall, ominous walls. I knew they were for protection, yet I couldn't help but feel like they would end up my prison. A hand rested on my shoulder, and I tore my gaze away, looking at Dimitri.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice soft and soothing.

I looked back at the walls, watching the gates open. In a quiet voice, mostly to myself, I asked, "Does it matter?"

I looked down when his hand left my shoulder and rested on mine, which was laying on my thigh. Looking back into his eyes, the comforting smile almost made me feel like everything might be okay - almost.

We took off again, this time in a slow lope, no longer in any rush. My heart, on the other hand, was in a full on gallop, so much so that I thought that it would beat out my chest. With every step closer, the beats increased.

We rode closer and closer to the gates, the hum of voices getting louder as we approached. Dimitri signaled, and we slowed. He had me fall back behind him, between two young soldiers I hadn't seen before. One had sandy blonde hair, and the other had red hair and bright, blue eyes.

"Castile, Ashford!" Dimitri yelled. "Watch her and your surroundings. Keep her safe!"

With that, he turned and rode through the gates, entering the city. We followed and the two soldiers drew near. I looked from one to the other, both of them giving me a friendly smile.

I looked forward as we crossed the bridge, holding my head high, as I entered my new home.

 _AN-_

 _We all know what's next, right? We finally get to meet Adrian. I think it's time we finally meet our Prince, don't you? Life is about to completely change for Rose, so what do you think is going to go down in the castle? Parties? Love? Treason? Scandal? Let me know!_

 _Also, everyone give my Beta, hbarker, a warm welcome. She's been reading this story since the very beginning and we've become friends in swapping reviews back and forth on each other's stories. I can't think of anyone else I'd want on this journey with me._

 _So for this week's question:_ _ **What was the last movie you saw in the theaters?**_

 _I saw "Me Before You" last week, and, spoiler alert: I cried like a baby, and my boyfriend laughed at me, until he looked around and almost every other female in the theater was crying, too. Quite possibly one of the best movies I have ever seen, in my entire life. I've now started the book and it's even better than the movie (as we all know)._

 _So until next week, my dears, give me a fav or a follow, shoot me a review and let me know what you think so far. The fun for Rose is just beginning._

 _-Shelby_


	10. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: Richelle Mead is the genius behind Vampire Academy and all its characters. The plot and storyline, however, are mine._

Dimitri held out his hand and helped me dismount from my horse. We stood in front of the massive staircase leading to the palace's cherry wood doors. The people who inhabited Westhaven stood behind us in a crowd. There had been people all along the road from the gates to the palace. Cheers, cries of happiness and love was all you could hear for the longest time. Women and children watched soldiers passing and relief colored their face when they saw the husbands and fathers they were searching for, riding toward the palace, safe and sound. I knew the homecoming would be happy for most families, but there were some faces who were anything but. I'd learned from Dimitri that about a quarter of the men who left the city walls were not returning, either due to battle or the elements. I saw the despair and pain etched onto faces as they realized they couldn't locate their loved ones among the men. Women held their children to their chests as their hearts broke, covered their faces with handkerchiefs, and turned from the procession.

I could hear the cheers behind me as I stood on the first stair, waiting for Dimitri to lead me inside. The roar of voices began to sound far away as I stared at those colossal doors. My head began to spin and my mind was clouding. My hand tightened on Dimitri's arm. He looked at me, but I couldn't pull my eyes from the intricately carved, wooden doors to return his gaze.

"Rose," he quietly said, in my ear, "You have to breathe. You're pale."

I took a large gasp in through my mouth. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath and had, apparently, been on the verge of passing out. I turned to look at him and saw genuine concern in his eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I stifled a laugh.

"No," I said, looking back at the doors again. "But that's never stopped me before."

He gave me a sad smile, but nonetheless, he started up the stairs. My feet automatically started moving and I held my head high, trying to remember to breathe. As we got closer to the door, my nerves began to get the best of me. I felt Dimitri's other hand cover mine on his arm. It had begun to tighten and cling to him and I didn't realize it until I felt the warmth of his hand over mine. We reached the top of the staircase and one of the doors was opened partially, allowing us to slip inside.

I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting when I stepped into the castle. A ball, perhaps? A dinner? A welcoming party, at the very least. What I didn't expect was, well, nothing.

Dimitri and I stepped into a spacious, elegant, but completely empty, foyer. It was beautiful, with its rose and mahogany colored marble floors. The furniture was all made of the same deep, cherry wood of the doors. I looked around and then turned to Dimitri.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, my voice sounding far too loud in the chamber. My voice bounced off of every surface, echoing slightly. I covered my mouth and Dimitri let out a soft chuckle. I was getting used to the sound of his laughter. I liked it. He opened his mouth to answer when a new voice rang from down the corridor.

"Safe travels, I assume, sir?"

Dimitri and I looked towards the newcomer and he led me down the hall.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, stopping in front of an older woman with dark grey hair, cut short into a bob, reaching her chin.

"And who is this?" she asked, giving me a look. She was taller than me and the way she looked down at me was almost disapproving.

"This," Dimitri started, guiding me forward, his hand on my back, "is Rosemarie Mazur. She was brought from a seaside village for His Highness, Prince Adrian. Rose, this is Lady Tatiana Ivashkov, she's King Nathaniel's aunt and the royal family's advisor."

The old woman was watching me like a hawk. It almost became comical when she began to circle me, looking at me from every angle. I shot Dimitri a questioning glance.

"Do you think she's appropriate for our prince?" She asked, stopping in front of me again. She grabbed my chin and it took everything in me not to jerk my chin out of her hand and slap her. Something in my head told me that would be a bad idea. She looked at me. "Sure, she's pretty. But make up is a deceiving thing. And this look in her eyes. Almost savage."

I felt my jaw tighten and at the same time, so did her fingers. They bit into my skin, and she tilted my head to the right, examining the left side of my neck. My blood ran cold.

There was no way she knew to look there. Nobody knew, save for Lissa who asked about it while helping me dress. Dimitri hadn't even asked, granted he'd only had a quick view of it.

"Lady Tatiana," Dimitri said, causing her to let go of my face. Unconsciously, I took a step back towards him, wanting him near me for protection.

She sighed and turned back towards the doorway she'd entered from. "The King would like to meet with you for a debriefing. I believe he and the Prince are in the throne room. If you'll come with me, Lady Rose, Captain."

Captain?

I looked at Dimitri as we began to walk again. Captain. He was the Captain of the King's Army. The Captain of his Royal Guard. I wondered why all the soldiers took orders from someone so young, but I never imagined…

Captain Belikov.

The bond we'd been forming. Had that been misunderstood on my part? Had I been mistaken that he was forming a friendship with me? Why would the Captain of the Royal Guard befriend a "savage girl" who was nothing better than a pretty whore until she marries the prince?

We'd been walking through the palace and my thoughts had been so focused on Dimitri that I hadn't even been noticing the things around us. All at once though, something grabbed my attention, or, well, my nose.

"What is that smell?" I asked, interrupting whatever Tatiana and Dimitri had been talking about. We were walking past the kitchens, that was apparent.

There was a sweet, freshly baked smell that I couldn't put my finger on. It was so familiar, but I couldn't figure out how I knew it.

"The cooks are preparing dinner, and that includes dessert," Tatiana said, matter-of-factly.

As we walked past, I tried to catch a glimpse in, but all I saw were people moving around. I could distinctly see a man with a mop of black hair. He shook his head and I heard him say, "Ben, I said garlic powder, not garlic salt. We can't serve this to the King. It's awful."

I hadn't heard it in over a year, but God, I would know that sarcastic, exasperated, snarky voice anywhere.

I gasped and Dimitri stopped dead in his tracks, turning to me, his hand on his sword.

"What is it?" he asked, assessing the area, looking for the danger I had seen before him. He didn't get a response though. I had taken off and run into the kitchen.

When I burst into the room, a few people turned to look at me, but for the most part, I was unnoticed. I watched him go from person to person, tasting their dishes or giving advice on what to do. He was about to pass right in front of me without even seeing me when I grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, what are you-?"

"Christian?" I asked, my voice shaking.

His ice, blue eyes went wide as he recognized me. He closed them and shook his head, as if he as trying to shake away a dream. "R- Rose? Is it really you?" He asked, as if he wasn't trusting his own eyes.

And with that, I dissolved into tears and collapsed into my best friend's arms.

Christian Ozera and I hated each other our whole childhoods. We were both always getting into trouble at school, so we'd end up having extra busy work while everyone else was playing or in detention together. You'd think that much time together, we'd have a little comradery. Wrong. I thought he was a sarcastic, self-righteous ass-hole and he thought I was a sarcastic, self-righteous bitch. Let's be honest, neither of us was wrong. We were actually alike in many, many ways, but because we were so similar, we got into fights a lot. And I don't just mean name calling. I mean full on, drop down, fist fights. But after the attack, we were both left alone. My father was killed and his parents were too, but for a very different reason. My father was killed for protecting others. His parents were killed for being rebels. The Ozera's were the real rebels that were hiding in our town, the ones who brought down the attack from the King's troops. Because of his parent's treason and the destruction and death they brought into our village, our people never forgave him.

For the first few months, I harbored so much hate for him that I had decided the first time I saw him, I would kill him. I wasn't sure how or when, but I'd do it.

One night, I was walking home from the beach when the sounds of a fight caught my attention. I had gone there to spend some time thinking of my father, but could only think of that horrible day. I headed down the street where I thought I heard the sounds coming from in a run. By the time I reached them, I found Christian being beaten senselessly by 4 men who were about 8 years older than us. The yelling had stopped and the only sounds were Christian's grunts and the thud of their fists and boots against his body.

So the sound of a gun cocking was pretty loud.

All 4 turned around and saw me, standing with a gun pointed at them. "Get away from him," I said, my voice like ice. I wasn't even sure if they'd listen to me. Sure, I had a gun, but I was only 14, and I was a girl.

One of them took a step towards me and I pointed the gun at his head when I noticed the knife in his hand. "Easy," he said. "We're just taking care of what the soldiers forgot to."

"Back away from him," I repeated, moving my finger to the trigger.

"Let's go!" I heard one of the other guys say. The 3 of them took off, leaving just the one between me and Christian.

"I suggest you follow them," I said, coolly, jerking my head towards where they had run. "And I won't be so nice next time. Don't touch him again."

He actually took my advice and ran off. I dropped my gun to my side and ran to Christian. He wasn't moving and he was covered in his own blood.

"Christian?" I asked, frantic. I wiped the blood off of his face with my sleeve and rested his head in my lap. The small movements spurred him to life and he began to cough up blood.

"Rose?" He asked. His voice was so small.

"Can you move everything?" I asked, giving him a quick once over. I didn't see any broken bones, but that wasn't saying he didn't have anything go wrong internally.

"I don't know, you dumb shit. I just came to." He sounded so tired.

I laughed in spite of the situation. There was the snarky attitude I knew so well.

"I'm going to try and help you up," I warned him. I sat him up and he hissed in protest. "I know, it hurts. We've got to get out of here though."

I managed to get him to his feet. He couldn't put any weight on his left foot. With his arm around me and my gun still in my hand, I helped him back to my house where I cleaned his wounds and wrapped his ankle.

There was a shift in our relationship that night. We became all each other had. He stayed with me and we supported each other. We'd train together. He became my everything, my rock.

And then one day, he was gone. I was just a few months shy of turning 16. I was at the market when the soldiers came, killing and taking slaves for the palace. I laid low, trying not to get noticed and tried to make my way home, where I knew Christian was supposed to be, making dinner for us. But when I approached my house, the door was blowing in the wind. It was so much like that day 2 years ago. I felt sick. I dropped the sack of food and goods I'd been carrying and sprinted into the house.

"Christian?!" I yelled as I crossed the threshold. My heart stopped at what I saw. There had obviously been a fight. The furniture was knocked over and things were broken. I ran out back, praying for a miracle.

Nothing. He was gone.

"I thought you were dead," I cried into his flour covered shirt, as his arms wrapped around me.

"I'm not," he said, trying to calm me, running a hand over my hair. "I'm not. I'm right here and so are you. We're together again. I don't know how, but you're here."

"What happened?" I asked, standing up and looking into his crystalline eyes. "Why did they take you? How did you end-?"

"Rose…"

I heard his husky, accented voice and had completely forgotten we had an audience to our reunion. I quickly wiped away my tears. I turned to face him.

Christian inclined his head towards Dimitri. "Captain Belikov."

Dimitri nodded to Christian. "Lord Ozera."

My head snapped to Christian so fast, I'm surprised I don't have whiplash. "Lord?" I asked.

Christian opened his mouth to reply, but Tatiana beat him to it.

"Lady Rose, if you wouldn't mind catching up with young Lord Ozera later, we have somewhere to be. The King is not a patient man."

Christian's grip on my arm tightened. I looked at him and his already pale skin had gone frighteningly white. His voice was frantic when he asked, "The King? Rose, why are you going before the King? What did you do?"

Dimitri had taken my hand and was lading me down the hall before I could respond and I just looked back at him. He had a look of utter fear on his face.

I gathered myself together as best as I could and glanced at my reflection in a passing mirror. Aside from puffy, red rimmed eyes, you couldn't tell I had been crying. I looked to Dimitri, who still hadn't let go of my hand. I wasn't sure if he realized it yet or not.

"You called him 'Lord'," I said.

"I did," he replied back, curtly.

"He's from my village," I replied.

"So I gathered," he shot back, a bitter tone in his voice.

"If he's from my village, how is he a Lord?" I asked. "I assume he wasn't brought here to marry a royal?"

Dimitri sighed and looked at me. It seemed he had just noticed he was still holding my hand. He pulled it away and ran it through his hair. It was unbound today and he had a light shading of stubble on his face. It was quite…sexy. "I think he'll need to explain that to you later. We've got more important things to do right now," he said.

I noticed then that we had stopped in front of another set of dark, cherry wood doors. Two soldiers in armor matching Dimitri's stood by the doors. I looked back at him. It was then that I noticed the black band sewn onto his sleeve that none of the other soldiers I'd seen had worn. It had the Ivashkov family crest, two lions, one on each side of a chalice of wine. It was sewn onto the black in a vibrant red. How had I missed that from the very beginning?

"Captain," one of the soldiers said, saluting.

"Welcome back, sir," the other said, matching his companion in a salute.

"Alto, Tanner," Dimitri said, nodding to them. They dropped their arms. "Mikhail, how is Sonya? When I left, she was feeling quite ill."

"Much better than she was, sir. As it turns out, I'm going to be a father." He was beaming with pride.

Dimitri clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations, man. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, sir," he smiled. "When are you going to grace the world with some little Riseltians?"

Dimitri laughed, one of the full laughs that made his entire face light up. "Once I find the girl I want to make them with."

Mikhail laughed with him and Lady Tatiana cleared her voice. "Gentleman, if you'd be so kind as to let us enter the throne room. The King is expecting us."

Both men snapped back into their roles as soldiers instantly. The man Dimitri had called Alto opened the door wide enough for us to step through. Tatiana walked in and didn't wait for us before taking her place next to the throne.

Dimitri turned to face me.

"I think this goes without saying, but for some reason, I feel as if I have to tell you. Don't speak unless spoken to. Do not be rude. Be sure to call him by his proper title, 'Your Majesty' and the same goes for the Queen. She will be either 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Grace'. Price Adrian will be 'Your Highness'. Do you have any questions?"

I just looked at him. "You're from Riseltia?"

He ran a hand down his face. "That's what to want to ask me before you go before the King?"

I shrugged. He sighed and gave me a once over look. He wasn't checking me out by any means. It was more like an older brother making sure his sister looked appropriate before she left the house.

"Come on," he said, taking my arm. "It's time."

With that, he led me into the throne room and the door shut behind us.

When we crossed the threshold into the room, all the voices in the room stopped. The only sound were my heels clicking against the marble floor and Dimitri's near silent steps. I had let go of his arm and held my head high, not wanting to let my nerves show.

I scanned the faces, wanting to identify anyone I could. The first person my eyes fell on was the beautiful, elegant woman, seated in a bejeweled throne. She had dark hair which fell to her shoulders in delicately, purposefully placed curls. A dainty crown with red jewels sat atop her head. Bright, emerald eyes were appraising me as I looked at her. There was a kindness in her face that I couldn't place, and I saw her lips turn up in a slight smile as she looked at Dimitri. This, I thought to myself, was the Queen, Daniella Ivashkov. To her right, seated in a much larger throne, was a silver haired man. His bushy mustache was the same color as his hair and where the Queen had a natural kindness in her face, his was devoid of any compassion or happiness, just scrutiny and annoyance. Brown eyes looked at me, not blinking. The King, Nathaniel Ivashkov. On King Nathaniel's right hand side was a man, not much older than me. He stood up when we entered the room. His dark hair looked messy under his crown, but not in a way that took away from him. It almost looked like it had been styled like that on purpose. He had his mother's piercing, green eyes. Honestly, he was extremely handsome. Prince Adrian Ivashkov, the heir to the throne, future King of Aliyore, and my future husband. And he was walking right towards us.

My heart was racing and instead of looking at my feet, I had to force myself to keep looking at him. He stopped in front of us and for a moment, he did nothing. Then he put his hands on Dimitri's shoulders and, looking at his face, said "Damn it, not a scratch on you, Belikov. I send you to battle and you come back even better looking. My plan backfired."

Dimitri laughed, then the two of them embraced, the Prince clapping Dimitri on the back. "Welcome back, my friend," he said, when they pulled apart. "It's good to have you home."

"I'm glad to be home, Your Highness," Dimitri said, bowing, to which Adrian rolled his eyes. "I'd like to introduce you to somebody."

I was watching the two curiously, wondering exactly what kind of relationship was between the Prince and his Captain. I expected stoic Dimitri to be professional and respectful, yet it seemed like he and the Prince were good friends. I was smiling at the exchange, glad to see that he had someone in the castle he was close to. It took me a second to realize they were regarding me with smiles of their own, Dimitri's reserved, Prince Adrian's, a smirk. I curtsied quickly, earning a laugh from Adrian.

"Your Highness, this is Lady Rosemarie Mazur, from Serelyan, the southernmost country," Dimitri said.

"I took geography from the same teacher you did, Dimitri, I know where Serelyan is," the Prince said, never taking his eyes off of me. "Lady Rosemarie." He bowed and took my hand, kissing it lightly.

"Just Rose, please, Your Highness," I said, breathlessly.

"Just Rose, huh?" He asked, letting go of my hand. "Well, Rose, I'll make a deal with you. You can just be Rose, if I can just be Adrian. No titles, no 'Your Highness'. Sound good?" He winked at me and I blushed.

I nodded and he smiled at me. He really was very handsome; up close, I could see it very clearly. He was tall, not nearly as tall as Dimitri, but pushing 6'2" or 6'3", easily. His skin was light, but clear, blemish free. He was built with lean muscle, the type that showed he stay in shape, but wasn't a fighter.

"Adrian," I heard a woman say. We looked over to see that Daniella had stood and was waiting for us. Her court of ladies stood around the room, quietly speaking to those with them. Whispers made their way to my ears.

"… _but look at her waistline. How can her body support that chest with such a small waist?"_

" _Oh, look at her hands! They're covered in scars and scabs!"_

" _I hope they haven't brought her here for the Prince… I was hoping to get him for myself…"_

Adrian offered me his arm and I took it. He led me to the foot of the dais, Dimitri trailing a few feet behind us.

"Lady Rose," he said, using my title in front of the King and Queen, "my darling mother, Queen Daniella Ivashkov."

I bowed. "Your Grace," I said, my eyes downcast to the floor. When bowing to a monarch in Aliyore, you stayed down until you were told otherwise.

She immediately took a couple of steps forward and I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Please, stand, my dear. You are extremely beautiful."

"Thank you, Your Grace." I rose from the ground and smiled at her, blushing.

"Please, call me Daniella," she said, smiling softly. "May I introduce my husband, Nathaniel?"

I bowed again, and waited to be told to rise. He never spoke.

"Nathan…" Daniella said in a chastising voice after a moment of silence.

"Rise," he said, in a deep voice.

I stood and looked at him, waiting. He just stared at me, those brown eyes, judging every move I made.

Nervously, I said "Thank you for inviting me into your home, Your Majesty."

He said nothing and continued to stare at me. I noticed I was not given the invitation to refer to him by his first name, as Daniella had.

Eventually, he said "So you're the girl who's been brought to be my son's whore?"

"Nathan!" Both Daniella and Tatiana said his name. I felt Adrian stiffen at his words.

"I… Uhm sir, I…" I couldn't speak. I couldn't think of a feasible response to that.

"Captain Belikov," Daniella started, nervously, "Would you be so kind to show Lady Rosemarie to her chambers? I'm sure she's tired after such a long journey."

Dimitri nodded and bowed. "Of course, Your Grace."

"Actually," the King said, as we turned to leave the throne room, "I need your report from the journey, Captain Belikov. I'm sure someone else can help Rosemarie find her room."

I didn't miss the dropping of my title. He did so as a blatant form of disrespect, even more cementing the growing feeling I had. He didn't deem me appropriate for his son.

Daniella spoke up. "I can have one of my court show you. Avery, would you mind showing-?"

"I'll take her," Adrian volunteered, stepping next to me. "I have business to attend to in the east wing this afternoon anyways. It would be my honor." He put extra emphasis on the last words and bowed to me, an overdramatic gesture, and I glanced at his father. He did not look happy.

Adrian offered me an arm and I looked back at Dimitri. The emotionless mask was back in place as he watched us leave.

Adrian and I walked in silence for a moment. We passed person after person who bowed to him as we passed. He knew almost every single one by name, he even stopped and spoke to a few. It was clear from the workers in the castle, the Prince was loved by his people. They bowed to him out of respect, not out of obligation like they did the King.

"You are very beautiful and you're very tan. Did you spend your childhood by the sea?" He asked, breaking the silence between us.

It caught me off guard and I looked up at him, into his handsome face.

"Yes, Your Highness," I said.

He smiled and looked down at me, out of the corner of his eye. "What did I say about the whole 'Highness' thing?"

I blushed. "Oh, uhm, I'm sorry."

He stopped us and turned to face me. "Do me a favor?" He asked, that smirk back on his face.

"What?" I asked, a smile on my lips in response to him.

"Say my name."

"Do what?" I asked, laughing.

"Just say my name," he said, smiling down at me.

"Adrian," I said, feeling silly.

"Now," he said, "Say it again."

I gave him a pointed look and I'm sure my smirk matched his as I cocked my head to the left. "Adrian."

"From now on," he said, taking my arm and walking again, "Call me 'Adrian'. Not 'Your Highness', not 'Prince Adrian'. Just 'Adrian', remember?"

I looked down, blushing. "Okay, Adrian."

I heard him laugh. "That's more like it."

We reached a door and he stopped. "These are your chambers. You should find everything you need provided already. You'll be going to a tailor tomorrow afternoon to be fitted and your wardrobe will be stocked. Your handmaiden has a room right down the hall in case you need her for anything, at any time." He pointed to a door we passed on the way to mine.

He handed me a key that Daniella had given him in the throne room. "Get settled in. I hope I'll see you for dinner in a few hours." He winked and began to walk down the hall. I put the key in the lock and twisted, hearing the deadbolt slip back. I put my hand on the doorknob.

"Rose?"

I turned towards the hall and looked at Adrian. He looked almost nervous, something I didn't expect. He'd seemed extremely confident so far. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just so you know," he said, taking a few steps towards me. "You aren't just some whore to me. If I marry you some day, you're going to be the Queen of Aliyore. I don't just want to use you to make an heir. I'd like to actually have a friendship and relationship with you." He paused and sighed. He was standing in front of me. "What I'm trying to say is, I'd like to be your friend first, your husband second, and your Prince last. Does that make sense?"

I let a breath out I didn't realize I'd been holding. "You want to be my friend? You mean, you don't just want to have sex with me? That's not all I was brought here for?"

Adrian sighed. "I'll level with you. Yes, that is what you were brought here for, by my father's orders, not mine. And as to whether or not I want to have sex with you," he trailed off. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Rose. But as I said, I'd like to be friends with you, especially if you will be my wife one day. I'm a scoundrel," he laughed. "I drink a bit too much sometimes and I sneak out to smoke when my parents and the royal council aren't looking. But I would never intentionally hurt a girl, especially her heart." He got a far off look in his eyes. "The heart is such a precious thing. Once it finds the one thing it clings to, it beats for it, it lives for it. But it's so fragile. The spirit of the heart can be broken so easily. I don't want to be the one to do that to anyone."

He spoke like he was in a dream, like he wasn't actually with me. Just as quickly as it began, his eyes snapped back onto mine.

He placed his palm against my cheek and I leaned my face into it.

"I'll see you later, Little Princess."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me with my thoughts.

 _AN-_

 _So here we are. Not only have we finally met Adrian, but the whole Royal Family. And Christian! You didn't think I'd leave him out of this story, did you? I think he and Rose are really underrated as friends a lot of the time, when really, they're so alike, they could've been best friends._

 _So question of the week:_

 _ **Is there any song that reminds you of Vampire Academy? Why does it?**_ _It can be any reason, from the lyrics speaking to you, reminding you of VA to just a song that you listened to while reading it! I'm just curious. I know some people put together playlists for the books, and I want to see your ideas!_

 _Reviews are always appreciated, as are favorites and follows!_

 _Let me know if there's anything you want to see or what you think is going to happen! Rose is in the palace now, so it's time for the real fun to begin._

 _-Shelby_


	11. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: Richelle Mead is the mastermind that created Vampire Academy and all its characters. The plot and storyline are mine._

"And over there, you can get the most delicious pastries! They're absolutely to die for." The girl walking in front of me rattled on, like she had for the past two hours. We were walking through Westhaven's market district, and she was apparently pointing out every store she'd ever been in. I was grateful for the guide, but wondered why they had assigned someone with such a grating voice.

My first night at Court had not gone well. I didn't sleep well, and I had nightmares, as always. However, this time, they featured a man with a bushy silver mustache holding a knife to my neck. I woke up in a cold sweat and laid awake until Lissa came to my chambers. Coupling that with the fact that I didn't get to eat this morning, due to a member of the Queen's court showing up to take me to the tailor's, I was in an irritable, outright foul mood. "Mary!" I snapped, cutting off whatever she'd been saying about a stall we were passing and their vast array of inks from across the continent.

She turned around to look at me, eyes wide. "It's Mallory."

"Mallory, whatever," I sighed, waving my hand before resting it to my sweat drenched chest. I was used to being in the sun for all hours of the day, but never in such heavy dresses and thick fabric. "How much farther until we get to the tailor?"

"Oh, it's just up on the right!" she said, pointing ahead. Sure enough, I saw a needle and thread adorning a sign.

"Oh, thank God." I walked ahead, leaving Mallory behind me.

Eddie and Mason, the guards who rode next to me into the gates of the city, were with me. They picked up the pace and caught up to me. "My lady," Eddie began.

Cutting him off, I responded, "What did I say about that?"

He sighed, but I heard Mason laughing. "Rose."

"Thank you." I smiled in his direction.

"Do you know how long you'll be in here?" he asked, looking in the door. The only thing I could see were rows and rows of dresses, gowns and tunics.

"Uh, I'm not sure," I said, looking at Mallory who had caught up with us. "I'm not sure how long this sort of thing usually takes."

"Oh, just a couple of hours!" She said, sprightly. I rolled my eyes and suppressed a groan. A couple of hours of trying on dress after dress and being stuck with pins repeatedly. My day couldn't get much better, I thought drolly.

"Well," he started, looking into the shop and around the area. "Do you think you'll be okay with just Mason for a little while? If you want me to stay, I'll be more than happy to, there's just…someone I want to see."

I caught the slight blush creeping up the sides of his neck and his cheeks. "Go ahead, Eddie," I smiled. "I'm sure if a dress attacks me, Mason and I can handle it." I winked at him and we all three began to laugh.

With that he bowed and began to run off. "Thank you, my lady!" he yelled back over his shoulder.

"What did I say about that?" I called out to him, laughing and shaking my head.

"Lady Rose!" Mallory chastised me. "A lady of the Ivashkov court does not yell at anyone, especially a member of the guard!"

As I walked into the tailor, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Aside from her extremely thorough guide of the market district, the only other thing I'd heard from her were reprimands. "Lady Rose, you mustn't slouch! Lady Rose, a woman of court must cover her mouth when she yawns or sneezes! Lady Rose, you can't wander off without your guards!" I really hoped she was just my escort to the tailor and wouldn't be helping the Queen with my lessons.

Mallory ran past me and embraced a man behind a counter. "Oh, Carter, how are you, my dear?" she asked, kissing both of his cheeks.

I tuned out at that point, skimming through the dresses. Mason stood at his post next to the door, and I vaguely heard Mallory explaining why I was here. I heard her say "Prince Adrian's guest" which had me rolling my eyes again. By the end of this shopping trip, I wasn't convinced my eyes wouldn't be stuck in the back of my head.

After a few minutes, Carter led me to a dressing room filled with large, poufy dresses. One by one I tried them on, as he poked and prodded until they fit my curves and covered all the essentials.

At some point, Eddie had returned, taking position on the other side of the shop from Mason. His cheeks were flushed again, but this time, I had a feeling it wasn't from embarrassment. I winked at him, as I spun on the pedestal for Carter, ensuring the fit of the dress was to his liking. "So, Eddie, was she good? Or are your cheeks that red from running to get back to us?"

Once again, I watched his cheeks and neck flare red, and he began to stammer. I heard Mason stifling a laugh. I also heard another voice I was quickly getting used to. "Lady Rosemarie! That is a completely inappropriate topic for a lady of your stature to discuss!"

"Of my stature?" I asked, incredulously. "You do realize a week ago I was shoveling horse shit, right?"

Mallory gasped, and I thought for sure she was going to pass out. No such luck. Instead, I felt a sharp prick against my ass. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, jumping slightly. I had not anticipated the needle actually piercing my skin.

"Forgive me, my lady!" Carter bowed quickly and began to apologize repeatedly.

I bent down in front of him. "Hey, it's okay. It's fine," I said, lifting my hands in a show of surrender. "Just caught me off guard, that's all. Don't worry about it." To be honest, I was pretty surprised he was able to even poke me with the pin through all the layers and layers of fabric.

Mallory had composed herself. From the look on her face, she was getting ready to say something about my "stature" again, when someone cleared their throat from the door way. We all turned to see who had joined our little adventure. "Adrian," I said, surprised to see him.

"Prince Adrian, Your Highness!" Mallory squeaked out, before bowing. I heard Eddie and Mason murmur the same before bending at the knee for their prince. As he began to walk toward me, I noticed Carter had run back behind the counter upon Adrian's arrival.

He stopped in front of me and smiled. I returned it, as he began to inspect the dress. It was a dark green, long sleeved ball gown with a high collar and lace trim everywhere. It was made of crushed velvet, and, while it was beautiful, it looked like it was made for an 80-year-old woman. Adrian stifled a laugh and then looked back at me. "What the hell is this thing? Did you pick this out?"

I shook my head. "No. When I arrived all the dresses were previously pulled for me."

He shot a look at Mallory and said, "Were they now?" He turned around and walked towards her. "I recall," he said, stopping in front of her and folding his hands behind his back, "telling you to bring her here and to allow her to pick out her own dresses; to have them custom made if she so chooses."

Mallory's face had gone pale. "Your Highness, I just wanted to make sure she was appropriate for court. The reputation of the court-"

"Appropriate?" Adrian asked, a harsh laugh coloring his tone.

"As she so eloquently pointed out to me, not even a moment ago, she was close to a savage less than a week ago. And now she-"

"And now she is my betrothed," he said, cutting her off. He turned to the members of the royal guard who had accompanied him. "Loren, Dean, see to it that Lady Mallory makes it back to the castle safely. Make sure she sees my mother and explains to her why she's been sent back to court without Lady Rose."

Malloy's smug face was paler even still, and her eyes were wide. Two of the guards stepped to her sides and she didn't move. "Lady?" The taller of the two guards said as he nudged her. She looked from both of their faces to Adrian's. Finally, her gaze rested on me, her visage holding a barely contained ire. With a haughty snort _,_ she was escorted away.

Adrian turned to Carter and held his hand out to the man. "I'm sorry for the drama in your place of business, my good sir. Please, accept the royal family's deepest apologies." The man gingerly took his hand and shook it, giving Adrian a timid smile. "Now!" Adrian said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he produced a large gold coin and slipped it into the man's still outstretched hand. "Let's get some dresses that are befitting of the lovely Lady Rose."

The old shopkeeper just stared at the gold coin. "Sir," he stammered out. "This is enough to buy my entire shop!"

Adrian just smiled at the man. "Then it shouldn't be an issue to take care of our girl, now should it? Keep the rest as a token of good faith from the royal family."

"No, sir! Of course not!" The man just smiled at Adrian, adoration coloring his features. "Thank you, Your Highness!" It was easy to see why the people loved him so much. He made sure they were taken care of, even if it was out of his own pocket.

Adrian walked back to where I stood, watching from atop the pedestal. "Pick out any dress you want, as many as you want, for any occasion. If you don't see what you like, have him make it. You have no restrictions here."

"Thank you, Adrian." I curtsied to him, as Mallory had shown me how to do before we left the palace that morning.

He laughed, and I shot back up to look at him. "That was the worst curtsy I've ever seen," he laughed, resting his palm against my cheek which I'm sure was inflamed with my blushing. "Don't worry though. Soon enough, you'll never have to bow to anyone ever again." With that, he kissed my hand and walked to the store's entrance. He paused right before he walked out. "Goodbye, Little Princess."

Hours, and what seemed like hundreds of dresses later, I was back in my chambers. I collapsed on my bed and let myself enjoy the soft mattress, silky sheets and luxurious pillows. I began to doze off until I heard a soft knock on my door. I slid off the bed and was stifling a yawn when I opened the door. There stood the queen, two members of the guard flanking her on each side. "Oh! Your Grace!" I said, bowing, low.

I heard a soft chuckle before she said "Rise, sweet girl."

I stood up and looked at her. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" I asked as I stepped to the side, wondering what could have warranted a visit from the queen herself.

She walked in and sat down on the small couch that sat at the end of my bed. She patted the spot next to her, indicating I should join her. I sat down and looked at her expectantly. "I heard that one of my ladies was a bit too forward today and overstepped her boundaries," she said, taking my hand. "I want to personally apologize for that. Lady Mallory has always gone above and beyond what was asked for her, but it seems that today, she was out of line."

"It's quite alright, Your Grace," I said, quickly. "No harm was done."

"Please, call me Daniella," she reminded me. "I was going to have Mallory help me with your lessons, but now, I feel it might be better to have another member of my Court aid us." With those words, my door was opened and a beautiful girl stepped through. She had long, black hair and her eyes were a beautiful blue-grey. She looked like she couldn't be more than a couple of years older than me. "Rose, this is Avery Lazar," Daniella said, introducing the young woman. She curtsied to me, and I nodded in response. "She has been in my service since she was eight years old. I believe she will be a great asset to you in the coming months."

"Months, Your Grace?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "You've only just turned 17, correct?" I nodded. "To become Queen, you must be 18 years old. So, until then, there's no rush on having the royal wedding. Until you marry Adrian, we'll have a sort of class, three times a week. That way, you'll be more than prepared when the time comes." She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. She said a few more things, and then she and Avery left my room, arm in arm. I sank down onto the edge of the bed and let her words sink in. In less than a year I would be married. In less than a year I would no longer be Rose Mazur. In less than a year I would be Queen of Aliyore.

I felt a panic attack growing and decided the best thing to do was get out of my room. I changed out of the thick, heavy dress and found a simple grey tunic and brown pants in the back of my closet. I put on my riding boots and pulled my hair back. Slipping out of my room, I tried to remember the quick tour Adrian had given me the night before. A few turns and a flight of stairs and I was out of the east wing. Past the parlor and the throne room, where I heard murmuring voices, and I would come to the war room. The door across from the war room would lead me down some stairs, and from there, I would be able to follow my nose to the stables.

As I walked into the barn, the first horse I saw was the hulking beast that was Cherny. He was just a commanding in a stall as he'd been in the field. As I passed the shelving, I grabbed a handful of grain and slipped into his stall. I fed him and ran my fingers through his thick, black mane. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a glimmer of the light skin I recognized. Blistet was in a stall a few rows down. I made my way to her and ran a hand down her glossy coat. She turned her head toward me, and I rubbed her nose.

After a few minutes, I walked back out of the barn and headed back toward the castle. As I got closer, I heard the distinct sound of battle. At first, I was worried. Was the castle under attack? Should I warn somebody? It was only when I heard the cheering that my curiosity was piqued. I rounded the corner and found a bunch of guards circled around two men. They were in the midst of a duel. I pushed my way to the front and watched them fight. Not long after I arrived, one of them took a "fatal blow" to the chest and stepped back, indicating he had been "killed". The winner, a large man with a long, braided beard stepped forward to cheers and yelled over the crowd. "Who's next?" he cried as his eyes skimmed the crowd. I saw the disdain in his eyes as they landed on me. "And what do we have here?" he said, taking a step forward. "Well, well, well. It seems we have a little lady in our midst. Come to watch the fun?"

"No," I said, taking a step forward. "I've come to join in."

The crowd silenced almost immediately. "Little girl, I've been in the King's Guard all my life. I've been dueling my own brothers since I was 16. I've never lost a fight. You might want to run along, and go find something to sew."

I could feel my blood beginning to boil. I reached toward the man who had just lost and held my hand outstretched. He looked from my hand to my face, and finally to the sword he still held. After a moment he held it out to me. Taking it from him, I made a quick assessment. It was blunt, so a killing blow wouldn't be easy. I looked into the face of the first man. "Are there any rules I should know?"

The man looked down at me and growled. "Don't lose." With that, he swung his sword at me.

I had been underestimated my entire life. It was clear that this man had assumed the same thing. I quickly rolled to the side and ended up behind him. He spun, quicker than I would have imagined and took a quick jab toward my chest, obviously wanting to end this as quickly as possible. I jumped back, but not before a swing of my own sword grazed his armor. I was on the defensive but knew I needed to get a few blows in occasionally. After a few evasive maneuvers on my part, the man charged at me full speed. I jumped to the side and landed a blow to his ribs. This caught him off guard and gave me the opportunity to go on the offensive. I pushed at him, swinging my sword, but was blocked at every blow. I was backing him into a corner, literally, and he knew that. As he felt the walls closing around him, he spit on my face and shoved me backward, when my shock took over. I landed in the dirt and rolled away, jumping up right before a sword dug into the ground where my hand had been seconds before. "That's not very fair," I growled at him, wiping his spit off my cheek.

"Sorry, little girl. The only rule is 'Don't lose'." He lunged at me, and this time, instead of swinging back, I grabbed his wrist, twisting until the sword dropped from his hand. As I elbowed him in the face, he stumbled backward. Giving me an opening, I swept my legs beneath his feet, causing him to fall over. I pressed my sword against his neck and looked down at him. The anger in his eyes faded, and he seemed to accept his defeat.

I pulled my sword back and turned to walk away. Unexpectedly, I felt a heavy blow against the back of my head and fell to the ground. I put my hand to the back of my head. Pulling it back around, I saw it was covered in blood. I rolled over just in time to hear another sword unsheathing. The man dropped the blunt, practice sword and stood above me holding a dangerously sharp blade. He pressed it against my neck, and I felt it pierce the skin. I could feel blood trickling down to the dirt where I lay. "But, I killed you." I said, my voice dripping with venom.

He moved the sword down slightly, and I felt the cool air on my exposed skin as he cut my tunic open. The thin piece of fabric covering my breasts was all that was left. He pressed the sword over my heart. "No, you didn't. But," he said, pausing to move the sword to the fabric. "I'm going to kill you. But first, I think I'm going to have a little fun with you." With that, he cut the fabric, exposing me to all who were watching the duel.

And then a sword was run through him from the back. He began to cough up blood and I crawled away, trying to cover myself. It was then that the sword he had been holding dropped from his hand and his limp, lifeless body fell to the floor.

My eyes flew up to see Dimitri standing over the soldier's dead body, eyes blazing in fury. He picked me up and silently carried me toward the castle. The stunned soldiers just stood there until Dimitri yelled over his shoulder, "I want his body cleaned up and these barracks returned to rank by the time I get back. If anything is in disarray when I return, whoever is responsible will be stripped of their titles and exiled immediately." I heard a commotion behind us, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. Dimitri set me on my feet carefully and took off the cloak he'd been wearing, draping it around my shoulders, covering my exposed body.

As we entered the castle walls, Dimitri led me up a set of stairs and into a part of the castle I hadn't been in yet. We came to a door, and he unlocked it and pulled me inside. He sat me in a chair, and I wrapped my arms around my body, looking down. He sat in chair in front of me, putting his hands on my arms. "Roza," he whispered. When I wouldn't look up at him, he tilted my chin up and I looked into his deep, brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, unable to find my voice. He tilted my head higher and looked at the cut on my neck. It had already stopped bleeding. "Am I going to live, Comrade?" I whispered, as he continued to check out my wound.

I heard a soft chuckle, and he let go of my chin. "I think you're going to be okay."

I moved my arms and felt a wetness on my chest. I opened the cloak, careful to keep my breasts covered and saw a second gash on my left breast, right over my heart. Dimitri carefully lifted his hand to my chest and was about to touch me when his hand suddenly stopped. "I…" he stammered. "I need to clean this wound. It's deeper than the one on your neck."

I nodded and he removed the cloak. He stood up and gathered the things he needed; antiseptic, gauze, creams and wraps. He sat down again in front of me, and I was holding the tunic together. He touched my hand. "Roza, I need you to take off your shirt so I can clean it." It was barely a whisper; his voice rough.

I let go of the fabric and he pushed it off of my shoulders. It pooled in the chair around me and my breasts were completely exposed to him. I heard his sharp intake of breath, but as soon as I looked up at him, the emotionless mask had slipped into place. He wet a piece of cloth with the antiseptic began to clean the wound. I hissed and tried not to move as it burned and stung. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice low and husky. He cupped my breast to open the wound slightly and clean out any dirt that had made its way inside. His hands were rough and callused from many years of training, and though I was in pain from the wound, I couldn't help but think about how good his hands felt on my skin. I'd never been this exposed to a man, and, although I felt extremely vulnerable, I knew I was safe with him.

He dressed the wound and laid the gauze over it. As he lowered his hand, his thumb grazed my hardened nipple, and a gasp left my mouth as I felt my arousal pooling in the pit of my stomach and between my legs. He looked up at me, and his eyes had darkened with lust. They were nearly black and I felt as if he could see directly into my soul.

"Dimitri," I whispered, his face just inches from mine. My gaze flickered between his eyes and lips, wondering what it would feel like to have them pressed against my own. I touched his face, and his eyes slipped closed, leaning toward me. Somewhere, outside the room, a door was slammed.

Dimitri jumped away from me, and his chair fell back. He stood, his eyes roaming the room, avoiding my gaze. He stalked into a small room off to the side, and quickly returned with a red tunic. "Here," he tossed it to me without looking my way. "Put this on. I'll escort you back to your room." The change in his mood was so abrupt, it startled me. However, I knew what we had almost done was wrong; very, very wrong. I was betrothed to the Prince; the person Dimitri was sworn to protect.

I stood up and put on the tunic. As I did, I was hit with a smell that could only be described as purely Dimitri. It was musky and strong, yet not overpowering. I sighed, and he glanced over his shoulder. Seeing I was decent, he said, "Come on," and walked out the door. I followed him, and he slowed his steps until I caught up. The walk to my room was mostly quiet. We were almost there when he broke the silence. "What the hell were you doing out there anyway?" He asked, anger lacing his words.

I shrugged. "I went out to see the horses and just, sort of, ended up there."

"Do you remember what I told you when we were on the way to Westhaven? These soldiers are savage. They take what they want, and if they can't have it, they kill for it. What if I had shown up two minutes later? Do you realize what he was going to do to you?" We were in front of my door now, and he was so angry that he was shaking. He grabbed my upper arms again. "Rose, I can't be there all the time to come and save you."

I jerked out of his grasp. "I didn't ask you to! I can take care of myself."

His gaze hardened. "Like you took care of yourself down there, when he was about to rape you?"

The idea brought me up short. I was silent for a minute. "I can take care of myself," I whispered. "I'm just…out of practice. I need to train."

He sighed. "No, you don't need to-"

"Yes, I do, Dimitri!" I cried. "I don't want to be a helpless damsel in distress! That's not who I am. Don't you see that?"

He was quiet for a long moment and just looked at me. Finally, he spoke. "Fine."

I blinked. "Fine?" I asked, confused.

"Fine," he repeated. "I will train with you, and you can tell no one. The Queen would kill me if she found out I was training you."

That was the last thing I was expecting. "That's not what I mea-"

"This is your only option. Take it or leave it," he said, cutting off my protests. "You can either stay in the castle all day, or you can train with me once a week."

Once a week? No, I thought. "Every day," I said, standing up straighter and looking directly into his eyes, a feat seeing as I was only 5'7" and he was a foot taller than me.

"Twice a week," he replied, sighing.

So we were doing this. "Five days a week."

"No, Roza, we can't-"

"Every other day. That's the only way I'll do it. If you won't help me, I'll find someone else." He ran his hand through his hair, and I noticed it was loose and unbound again. "Please," I pleaded, hoping to convince him.

He sighed and looked at me. Finally, I saw the resolve settle on his face. "Fine," he said. "Every other day. But," he said, seeing the smile light up my face. "You have to be in the courtyard at 5:30 every morning. You miss one practice and the deal is off."

I groaned, but nodded my head. I stuck my hand out. "It's a deal, Comrade."

He shook my hand as a smirk played across his lips. "Oh, Roza, you have no clue what you've just gotten yourself into."

 _AN-_

 _So a little bit of filler, but we got a few exciting things out of this chapter. We got Rose being a badass, Adrian being a total sweetheart and our first heated moment between Rose and Dimitri. Coming up will be Rose's first training session with Dimitri, "Princess Class" with Avery (can't you just smell the drama brewing?), more information on Christian and how he got to Court and, possibly, a little back story on Dimitri._

 _Question of the week:_ _ **What song has been stuck in your head lately? New or old, country or rock, doesn't matter!**_

 _As always, reviews make me smile! I try to respond to every review, but with the family drama in the past few weeks, I haven't been able to get to all of them, and for that, I am so sorry! I'm getting back on that!_

 _Please, don't forget to favorite and follow the story and me as an author if you already haven't! It makes my little heart happy when I get an email randomly throughout the week telling me I have a new follower!_

 _Also, thank you so much to everyone who reached out to me after I posted my note last week. For those that don't know what's going on, my grandfather took a pretty bad fall last month. He slipped and fell off a curb while helping some of his friends from church move and fell face first onto a cement driveway. He's 6'8", so he had a long way to fall. Since then, he's fallen twice and doesn't attempt to catch himself in any way. We had to rush down to Alabama last week when he fell and sustained a pretty wicked injury on his head. Until now, it's just been bruises, black eyes, and busted lips. They think when he took that first fall, he may have had some neurological damage. Seeing as he's in his early to mid 70's, it's not hard to believe. He's doing much better now and is back home resting. He's on his way back to being himself and just has to have someone with him for the next few weeks until he can fully recover. I can't thank you all so much for all the prayers and good wishes. Writing this story has helped me make friendships that I wouldn't have any other way and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you._

 _Until next week!_

 _Shelby_


	12. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I own the plot and the story line, Richelle Mead owns the characters and anything VA related._

I stood in the courtyard, leaning against a tree, shivering slightly. The sun hadn't risen yet, and, regardless of the fact that it was the middle of summer, the air was crisp and cool. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day. I rubbed my arms, relishing in the warmth the friction gave and looked down at my feet. My boots were wet with dew and I yawned, tapping my toe against the ground, knocking off a few of the droplets. I sighed and looked up at the palace doors. It was past 5:30 now. If Dimitri couldn't be bothered to be here at the ass-crack of dawn, why should I? I was looking at my nails when I heard the crunch of an apple right next to my ear.

I jumped and spun around, my fist automatically flying out, only to be stopped by Dimitri's outstretched hand. A small smile played on his lips as he chewed. "First lesson," he said, still holding my first. "Always pay attention to your surroundings." A small bag was thrown over his shoulder and he was dressed in an outfit similar to mine. A black tunic, brown pants that hugged his muscular legs and black boots. He almost looked better in his training clothes than he did in his Captain's uniform. Almost.

He let go of my hand and I pulled my fist back toward me. "How long have you been standing there?"

"About 10 minutes," Dimitri replied, taking another bite out of his apple.

"Did you bring me one?" I asked, inclining my head to the fruit in his hand. I attempted to stifle yet another yawn.

He swallowed and paused for a second before speaking. "No, I did not. Let's go."

Before I could respond, he spun on his heel and headed toward the Court walls. "Where are we going?" I asked, after we'd been walking for a few minutes. For all I knew, he could be taking me off into the woods to kill me.

"Out into the forest, we will be uninterrupted there."

I stopped walking, concern flooding me, wondering if I should be worried. Almost immediately, I had my answer. Dimitri wouldn't hurt me. I knew that. Picking up the pace, I quickly caught up to him. Eyeing him, I saw him take another bite of the apple. My stomach growled in jealousy. I saw him glance over at me, eyebrow raised in his unspoken question.

"Are you sure you don't have another one of those in your bag?" I asked, my eyes on his half eaten apple.

"Could you not have gone to the kitchens on your way down this morning?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Is this going to be a reoccurring conversation every morning?"

I looked over at him, trying to look intimidating, but from the amused look he returned, I assumed I wasn't successful. "I am not a morning person, okay? You should be happy I'm even here."

"I can tell," he said, laughing and reaching into the bag, before tossing me an apple.

I caught it and took a huge bite, practically moaning as I chewed. I caught Dimitri's gaze and saw that there was a blush spreading across his cheeks. I caught myself looking down his body and cleared my throat before saying, "So how much farther is it?"

Dimitri blinked a few times and looked ahead of us, squinting into the rising sun. "It's just up ahead." All I could see was a wall of green, leaves and vines bunched close together. He pushed them apart, and we walked into a clearing. It was surrounded by trees and was just far enough away from Court that none of the usual hustle and bustle of the city could be heard.

Dimitri took a few steps forward and set the bag down on the ground. He pulled out long strips of fabric and sat down, beginning to wrap his hands. He looked up at me and lifted a piece of the fabric up, holding it out to me. I walked over and sat down across from him, picking the fabric up and holding it in my hands. I looked up at him, to see him pulling the ends into a knot and tightening it with his teeth. He flexed both of his hands to make sure he had movement when he noticed me watching him. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I've never used these," I said, quietly. "I'm not sure if there's a correct way to do it or not."

"Here" he said, sitting up on his knees, scooting closer to me. "They're called wraps. Let me show you." He took the fabric and made a loop, hooking it around my thumb. The second his hand touched mine, I felt a warmth shoot from where he touched me, all throughout my body. I looked down to hide my blush. He wrapped it around my wrist and over the top of my hands, making an "X" shape. He repeated this process a few times and then went between each finger, starting with my pinky. While he wrapped he explained why we were doing this. "I've seen your sword fighting skills. You're already good. We'll work on improving those another day. I want to see how you fight, hand to hand." Once he reached my index finger, he wrapped over my hand again and then around my wrist. "The wrap will keep your wrist and knuckles supported, so we can get the most out of our training without hurting ourselves." He tied it to a loose strip that was poking out of the fabric on my wrist. "There," he said, letting go of my hand. I clenched my fist and spread my fingers, testing the wrap. "Is it too tight?" he asked, holding out the second strip of fabric.

I held my hand out and shook my head. "No," I said as he began to wrap the second hand the same as the first. "It feels right. Tight, but not so tight that I can't feel my hand. It feels…" I trailed off, watching him work, trying to think of the right word.

"Secure," he said, finishing my sentence as he tied the knot. He looked up at me and my breath caught. Without thinking about it, we leaned toward each other, our bodies drawn together. Apparently, no matter how many times I looked at his gorgeous face, into his brown eyes, I'd never get used to it. His eyes, which were as beautiful as they were fierce. The planes of his nose as it curved into his eyebrows were strong yet subtle. The perfect cupid's bow and curves of his lips were begging to have mine pressed against them. His long hair was tied at the nape of his neck today, yet there were still a few strands which wouldn't stay put.

At that thought, I had the strangest sense of déjà vu. All of a sudden, it was the worst day of my life all over again. I was up in a tree, on a beach, looking at a beautiful, long haired stranger, who's blood spattered hair wouldn't stay behind his ear. And suddenly, it was as if he was sitting right in front of me. My breath caught in my throat again, but for an altogether different reason. I jumped back, stumbling and falling backwards.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked, taking a step toward me.

My eyes were wide, and once I again, I felt like I was 13, cowering in that tree, hoping and praying I wouldn't be discovered. "There's no way you were there," I whispered, trying to do the mental math in my head. Three years ago, he would have been about 20 or 21. Someone that young wouldn't have been sent to my village.

"What are you talking about, Roza? No way I was where?" he asked, making another move toward me.

"Don't touch me," I said, scooting back farther. My back hit a tree and I knew as hard as I tried, I wouldn't be able to shrink back any farther. "Were you there?" I asked, so quietly, I'm surprised he could hear the question.

He looked at me, confusion coloring his features. "Was I where? I don't know what you're-"

"Were you there when they killed my father?!" I questioned, cutting him off, jumping to my feet, ready to run. My voice was so cold I hardly recognized it. I felt like I wasn't myself. Rage was welling up in my chest.

Realization hit him. "No, Roza," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I've never been to Serelyan."

"Bullshit!" I yelled. Now, I was glad we were so far from Court. No one could hear me. "You were there! I saw you! On the beach!" Dimitri reached for my hand and I pulled it away, instead throwing a second punch at his handsome face. I played the entire scene over in my head.

" _I don't want to leave any loose ends."_

He caught it, and before he could twist it to pin it behind my back, I came closer and threw my knee into his stomach.

" _Whoever was in the water couldn't have gotten far."_

He grunted in pain and loosened his grip, but didn't let go completely. It was enough for me to twist my body and throw an elbow to his face. He turned his head just in time, but I still felt the contact on his cheekbone.

" _I won't have the blood of a mere child on my hands, Ivan."_ Ivan.

Distracted, I struck out to kick Dimitri's legs out from under him, but he grabbed my leg, pulling me to the ground and pinning me, using his height and weight against me. He looked down at me, a purple bruise already starting to color his cheek and eye. "Will you calm down and let me-?"

"Who is Ivan?" I snapped, cutting him off. I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. His face fell and I saw sadness in his eyes. "Dimitri?" I asked, thankful that his hands were still pinning my arms down. If they weren't, I think I would've been tempted to smooth out the lines forming between his eyebrows.

He sighed and pushed away, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. I sat up and reached out to touch his arm, pulling back at the last minute. "Who is Ivan?" I whispered, much calmer than before.

In the scuffle, his hair had fallen out of the band. It hung around his face, blocking my view. He sighed, running his hand through it in frustration. "My brother," he said, so quiet that if we hadn't been in this secluded clearing, I wouldn't have heard him.

"Oh," I said. That made sense. They were nearly identical. The only real difference lie in their eyes. Ivan's had been a piercing blue, while Dimitri's were a warm chocolate brown. The same ones that were now gazing into my own. "He's a soldier, too?"

I saw his heartbreak in his eyes. He looked off into the trees and uttered one word that explained everything. "Was." In that moment, I knew Dimitri was as broken as I. It didn't matter how his brother had died; he too was alone in the world.

This time I didn't stop myself. I reached out and touched his arm. His head shot up, surprised. I saw his eyes shimmering, tears long unshed brimming to the surface, and that was all it took. I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He stiffened at first, relaxing after a moment and I felt his strong arms encircle my waist, clinging to me as if I was the only solid thing on this earth.

We sat like that for a long while, finally pulling back to look at each other. He gingerly reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. I held my breath, not knowing what was coming next. I longed for him to kiss me, but I knew what a mistake that would be, for both of us. His eyes flicked from my eyes to my lips and back again. His hand caressed my cheek as he sighed. He let go of me and shifted out of my grasp. "Come on," he said, standing up. "We still have training to do."

Three hours later, I was sitting in my room, in front of the mirror as Lissa styled my hair for tea with the Prince. My mind was preoccupied not only with Dimitri's behavior, but also with his brother. What had happened to him? How had he died? I lifted my hand to move a curl that had fallen into my face and I winced. I was already sore from training that morning and knew it was only going to get worse.

"You need to be more careful if you're going to be training," advised Lissa. "I can scrub mud out of your hair and cover some bruises, but scrapes and wounds are going to be up to you to explain." I shot her a look of annoyance in the mirror and she simply smirked in response. She went back to working on my hair. "There," she said, pinning the last piece in place. It was twisted back off my face and left in long, loose curls down my back. My dresses had arrived from the tailors earlier in the morning, and Lissa and I stood in the massive dressing room, trying to choose a dress.

"Well," she started. "You definitely will stand out from the rest of Court."

And it was true, I would. After Lady Mallory was escorted from the shop and I was allowed to pick my own dresses, I chose based on my preference, not on what would be "appropriate". Almost all of my dresses were sleeveless or cap-sleeved, with open backs and deep, yet tasteful, neck lines. I looked at them all and touched the fabric of a light blue dress with a separate top and skirt, leaving a small amount of my tanned torso exposed. The bodice was embroidered in gold roses, and while I rolled my eyes at the correlation between the decoration and my name, I had to admit it was beautiful. "This one will be good for tea in the gardens."

"You won't be able to wear a corset with that dress," said Lissa.

I glanced over at her and smirked. "I know." She rolled her eyes as she helped me dress. I stood in front of the full length mirror as she made a last few finishing touches when we heard a knock on the door. Glancing at the clock, I said, "I'm not expecting Adrian for another two hours."

Lissa shrugged, and I walked out of the dressing room to the main chamber. I opened the door, smiling widely at the familiar face. Pulling him into a tight hug, I exclaimed, "I haven't been able to find you since I got here, Christian! I've been to the kitchens every day! Where did you go?"

He laughed and hugged me in return. "I've been away from Court, visiting family."

I pulled away from him in shock. "Family?"

I stepped back into the suite, expecting him to follow. He just stood in the hall. "Do you not want to come in?" I asked, perplexed by his behavior.

"It's not really appropriate for me to be in your suite, seeing as you're the future queen," he said.

I bit my lip, looking at the clock sitting in the corner. I had plenty of time before Adrian would fetch me. Sticking my head into the dressing room where Lissa was piecing outfits, shoes and jewelry together for the future, I told her, "I have to run out for a little bit."

She looked up at me from her chair in the corner. "Okay," she replied, letting the words hang between us, as if waiting for me to continue.

"I'll explain later, but I'll be back before the Prince arrives. Don't sit in here all day. Get out, explore the palace. Meet people. Please," I begged. She smiled at me and nodded. With that, I went back out into the main room and exited the suite, pulling the door shut behind.

He led me to the south wing of the castle, an area I'd never been before. He opened a small, nondescript door and then led me up a flight of stairs. When we reached the top, the view took my breath away. "I like to come up here to think," he said, perching himself up on the balcony overlooking the city. You could see everything, from the sea to the east, the great forests and mountains in the north and the plains and open land to the west.

"About what?" I said, leaning next to him, looking over the edge at the ground below. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I stepped back. We were so high up. Christian didn't seem to notice. He was picking at his nails, avoiding my eyes.

"About, well, everything," he said, sighing. "I've only been gone from Serelyan for a year, but it feels like so much longer." He looked at me before continuing. "I heard what happened, at home." He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "That's another reason I left for a little while. I couldn't stand to be here, living in luxury, while our friends and fami-" The words caught on his tongue. I knew what he was going to say. Families. Except neither of us had any family in Serelyan. "I couldn't stay here while our friends had been killed and our home had burned to the ground. So I left for a few days. I just needed to get away. I wanted to get a message to you, but I wasn't sure how. I didn't know who to trust. Plus, it was sort of short notice."

I just sat there, processing everything he was telling me. After a few minutes, I looked at him, his blue eyes so familiar, I felt like crying. I remembered what he had said before and decided to be happy for him. "You mentioned something about visiting family?"

His eyes lit up and a genuine smile shone on his face. "My Aunt Tasha introduced me to them. They live in a village about a day's ride from here, which is probably just over 100 miles."

"Aunt Tasha?" I vaguely remembered Christian telling me about his father's sister when we were kids. About how she'd gone missing years ago after going to visit a nearby village. They said she'd never come back, but her horse had run home in the middle of the night. Everyone thought she was dead. It was a huge mystery in our village, because at the time, we lived in peace for the most part. The soldiers who came and went from our village were only violent when necessary. "I thought your aunt was dead?" I asked.

"So did I," he said, jumping off the ledge. His feet landed next mine on the ground, and he slid down until he was sitting, resting his elbows on his knees. He patted the ground next to him, grinning at me.

I glanced at the ground and bit my lip. I held out my skirts, pressed and pristine. "Christian, I can't-"

"Oh, come on," he laughed. "You aren't queen yet. You only get to have fun for a little bit longer." He winked and I smiled, helpless against my best friend's charm. I plopped down on the ground next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He always radiated warmth, no matter what. The heat of his body and his familiar scent made me smile. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend we were back at my house, and that the waves I was hearing were from the Kerakin Sea, not the ocean bordering the capital.

"So what happened to Tasha all those years ago?" I asked, relishing in the time I thought I'd lost with my best friend.

"She was found in the forest and captured by soldiers, and they brought her here for questioning. The king was convinced she was a spy, even though she was only 16, and wanted to have her executed." I looked up at Christian, shock written across my face. He smiled and laughed. "It's okay, the Queen stepped in and took her in as a member of her court. She's now Lady Natasha."

I could feel my brows furrowing in confusion. "Why didn't she ever write anyone and let you know she was safe?"

He was playing with the hem of my skirt, avoiding eye contact. "She tried to get a couple of soldiers to take a letter to us, but none of the soldiers she was close to came to Serelyan. And, if the king found out someone he believed was a conspirator or a rebel was trying to send a letter back home to her family, he would've killed her himself or had us killed. She decided it was for the best that we thought she was dead."

I listened to him, and nodded along. I would've done the same thing in her position. "How did she find you?"

"Well, when I was brought here, it was hell at first. You know the stories that we heard about the kitchens," he said, looking at me. It was a statement, not a question. We all knew the stories. Continuing, he said, "Well, it's not as bad as it was made out. We obviously weren't chained to the walls while we were cooking or had to sleep under the ovens. But it was brutal. The head chef was an asshole. We'd get lashings if our food 'wasn't up to par'. One night, about two months after I was brought to Court, I was on serving duty, which meant I had to take the food to the dining room and set it out. I placed the food, and when everyone began eating, I was supposed to gather the dishes and set them to the side to be taken back to the kitchens at the end of the night. The dinner that night was for lords and ladies of the castle. Right after they began eating, I noticed a nearly empty plate near the end of the table. I waited, and when I walked to the table to get it, I had to lean near her to retrieve the plate. Aunt Tasha saw my face and recognized me. She broke down in tears and immediately escorted me to the queen. She begged her to give me the title of Lord as the last living relative in her direct bloodline. Queen Daniella was very gracious and granted me my title. About a month after that, the royal chef had a heart attack and died. I went before the Queen and requested filling the then vacant position." He was smiling, pride shining on his face. "After she and the King sampled a few of my dishes, I was granted the title. I'm the first Lord who's lived in the castle who's willingly held down a job."

I listened to his story with wide eyes and amazement. "Oh, Christian," I said, hugging him. "I'm so glad everything has worked out for you."

He hugged in return. "And now I have my best friend back. My life is nearly perfect. I can't think of much else I would ask for."

I sighed. I was happy for Christian. He had a great life, nearly perfect, as he'd just said. But deep down, I felt a twinge of jealousy. I pushed it down and scolded myself. He was my best friend, and regardless of my situation, I was happy things were working out for him. In all reality, I should have been happy. I was in line to become the Queen of Aliyore. I would be married to the most powerful man in all of the world. A man, I realized suddenly, I was supposed to be having tea with very, very soon.

Jumping up, I exclaimed, "Oh, I have to get back to my suite!" "Trying to dust off my dress, I explained, "Adrian is fetching me for tea in the gardens."

Christian just laughed and stood, dusting off the back of his pants. "Come on, Lady Rosemarie," he said, holding out his arm, sarcasm lacing his words. Slipping my own through his, I looked at him and tried to raise my eyebrow, eliciting a laugh from him.

He led me back to my room, quickly and efficiently, no one questioning us coming out of the tower. As we arrived at my chambers, I opened the door, and once again, he stood outside as I entered. I rolled my eyes at the same moment I heard Lissa call from my dressing room. "Oh, Rose, I'm so glad you're back! I wasn't sure if you'd make it in time. I didn't know what I'd tell the prince if you weren't here!" She stepped out into the main room, still speaking. "I've put together a few outfits I'd like your approv-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Christian in the doorway. His mouth hung open as he stared at her, a blush coloring his cheeks.

My gaze flitted back and forth between the two before clearing my throat. "Uh, Christian, this is Vasilisa Dragomir. Lissa, this is Christian Ozera, my best friend from Serelyan."

Christian stepped through the door and up to Lissa. Raising her hand to his lips, he placed a light kissed upon it. "My Lady," he said, bowing. I rolled my eyes. Lissa giggled in response and I fought the urge to roll my eyes once again.

Just then, a knock came from the open door, and I looked up to see Adrian leaning against the frame, a smile on his handsome face. "I hope I'm not interrupting," he said.

Both Christian and Lissa bowed. "Your Highness," they both muttered.

"Rise," he said, walking in. "Any friends of Rose's are friends of mine. Lord Ozera, I believe?" he said, holding out his hand to Christian.

"Yes, Your Highness," Christian said, grasping the extended hand.

"You make the best food I've ever eaten here. I've never had the opportunity to compliment you in person until now."

"Thank you, sir," he said, bowing his head in appreciation.

He released his hand and looked at Lissa, as she curtsied again. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere, but I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure of making your acquaintance," he said, holding out his hand.

"Vasilisa Dragomir, Your Highness," she said, clasping his hand lightly and bowing.

"Ah, Dragomir. I knew your brother, Andre. I was very upset to hear about the accident." At his words, Lissa's smile faltered. I knew her family was a painful topic. When she was younger, while she was visiting a friend's house, her family's home had caught fire. Her father, mother and brother were all killed. It was ruled an accident, but rumors spread that it was members of the King's Guard that had lit the fire. There was no proof though, and since Lissa was a child, the King granted a member of his Court the title of Warden of the North. That was how she became an apprentice to a seamstress and how she was taken by the soldiers in the first place, rather than killed like other nobility had been.

Lissa, covering her sorrow with a smile, nodded to the prince. "Thank you, sir. I miss them every day."

Adrian rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her before he turned to look at me. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. "Are you ready to go, My Lady?"

I rolled my eyes and my smile grew. "Yes, Your Highness."

He offered me his arm and I took it, as he led me to the door. "Christian, why don't you give Miss Dragomir a tour of the castle? I'm sure she'd love to see the portrait of her family in the gallery."

I saw Christian offer Lissa his arm, but Adrian was already leading me back toward the parlor and throne room. "I see your dresses were delivered this morning," Adrian observed, looking down at me from the corner of his eye. I saw him smirking. "I knew those horrible, cupcake ball gowns weren't your style. This is much more…you."

I looked down at the gold and blue fabric and ran my free hand over it. "Westhaven is far too hot for velvet and long sleeves," I said, matter-of-factly.

He chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "I guess you're right."

As we approached the throne room doors, the soldiers posted there pulled them open. Inside, King Nathaniel sat at his throne, Tatiana was sitting in a smaller chair next to him. A journal was open on Tatiana's lap. I immediately felt anxiety coursing through my body. "Are you sure they're…appropriate?" I asked, remembering the words Lady Mallory had used while picking out the original dresses. I loved the dresses I'd selected, but right now, in front of the King and his advisor, I was worried I didn't fit the image of Prince Adrian's future bride.

"I think they're beautiful, just like you, which is all that is expected," he said nodding at his father as we walked to the French doors leading to the Royal Gardens. I gave a small curtsy to the King as Adrian opened the door for me. He led me down the stairs and into the most beautiful garden I'd ever seen. We rounded a bush of hydrangeas and found Daniella sitting at a table surrounded by oleander bushes. She stood up as we approached.

"Rose, my dear," she said, kissing my cheek. "I hope you're settling in well?" She kissed Adrian's cheek as well and then sat down, looking at us. We joined her before Adrian began to pour each of us a cup of tea.

"Yes, Your Grace," I replied, smiling at her. "Everyone has been extremely friendly. I was very surprised to find that my best friend from childhood is your head cook."

"Oh, Lord Ozera. What a wonderful young man. An attitude problem occasionally, but such a kind heart." She chuckled, the sound kind and inviting.

The conversation flowed, and she asked me about my childhood and the home where I grew up. She inquired about my parents and how they died. She showed sympathy for their deaths and wanted to know how I'd survived on my own for these past few years. I told her how I'd trained and tended to my farm. I told her about Christian and how we became close. I found myself wanting to tell this woman everything and wanting to open up to her; to tell her things I would've told my mother, if she was around.

After about an hour, Lady Avery joined us. Adrian stood when she arrived before leaning to kiss my hand. "I'll leave you ladies alone. I'm sure the conversation is about to digress into unsavory conversation regarding dresses and which fork to use at royal dinners. As enthralling as that sounds, I'm more interested in finding Captain Belikov and finding out who was able to land the punch that gave him such a mark."

I coughed and sputtered, nearly choking on the tea I had just sipped. I dabbed my face with a napkin, as all three looked at me with concern. "Forgive me," I said, sheepishly, still coughing. "Wrong pipe."

With a quick kiss to his mother's cheek and a bow to Lady Avery, Adrian departed. Daniella then turned to me. "I'd say it's time for your first princess lesson, wouldn't you?" she asked, smiling.

I tried to force the smile to stay on my face as I realized what a long day it really was going to be.

 _AN-_

 _Did you miss me?_

 _Alright, first thing's first, I am very sorry it's been so long since I updated. I promise I am NOT abandoning this story. I have poured my heart and soul into it and it is my baby at this point._

 _It's been a pretty strange few weeks, and not in the good way._

 _First, last week at work, I was training a new employee, who ultimately will be taking my position so I could spend less time at work and more time with my family. So I had no time to myself to write. Then I found out on Thursday morning that one of my good friends from my old job, who's been clean for 9 months, overdosed on heroin and passed away. I spent the weekend with old friends, just trying to wrap our heads around how this happened. This week at work has been extremely hard. I now have new hours, which cause me to be at work even more than I already was, contrary to my boss' earlier promises, and I am no longer allowed to write in my spare time and on my lunch breaks, which is when I did a majority of my writing. I've also begun a very vigorous workout routine, where I work out about two hours every night, so I'm exhausted pretty much all the time._

 _Because of all of this, my mind is in a very dark place right now. I've struggled with depression and anxiety since I was 15, so this is nothing new to me, but I haven't felt so trapped by it in a long time._

 _To say all of that, I just want to thank you guys for standing behind me. For now, I think it may be best that I change my update schedule to every other week, for the time being. If I can bust an extra chapter out, I'll go ahead and post it, but life is just fighting me at every turn right now._

 _An extra big shout out to my beta hbarker, who listened me whining and moaning at every turn this week, who never pressures me to meet a deadline, and who has become a shoulder to lean on in these hard times. Thank you for being there for me when I just needed someone to listen. (Also, go check out her new story_ _Thief of Hearts_ _, it's absolutely amazing.)_

 _So for our weekly question:_ _ **What do you do to relax? How do you calm your mind down from going 90 miles an hour and shut it down for a little bit?**_

 _Enjoy your weekend, guys, and hug your family and friends a little bit tighter tonight._

 _-Shelby._


	13. Honesty is Wine's Greatest Side Effect

_Disclaimer: Richelle Mead is the genius that created the world of Vampire Academy and all of its inhabitants. Aliyore and the plot is mine._

"So, which is the salad fork and which is the dessert fork?" Lissa asked, pointing toward the table set in front of me with over 30 unique pieces of silverware, flatware and stemware. My elbows were resting on my knees and my hands were laced through my hair. I glared at the three individually-sized forks atop the red table cloth. I reached a tentative hand up and touched the fork that was directly in front of the plates and bowl.

"That" I paused, second guessing myself, "is the dessert fork." Lissa nodded, waiting for me to indicate which was the salad fork. I reached for one of the forks on the left side of the plates, but changed my mind at the last minute. "It's this one," I said, picking up the fork alongside the spoons on the right side of the plates.

She took it from me, setting it back down. "That's the seafood fork."

Before she could tell me which one was the salad fork, I was up out of my chair and pacing the room, pulling on my hair. "How the hell does Daniella possibly expect me to be able to learn all of this in two weeks?" Just as Adrian had predicted and escaped from, my first session was a quick run through on dinner party etiquette. It was then that she informed me there was to be a royal dinner in honor of Tatiana's sixtieth birthday in just over two weeks. I would be sitting alongside Adrian and the rest of the royal family. Since I had not yet been properly introduced to the public, all eyes would most likely be on me. I groaned. "How long did it take you to learn all of this? Your mother taught you when you were young, right?"

"Not too long. We had very thorough lessons though," she replied, biting her lip.

I'd spent enough time with her to know that she wasn't telling me everything. "Spit it out, Liss," I said, sitting on the edge of my bed, crossing my arms, gazing at her.

"Four years," she said, looking down and picking at her nails, avoiding my eyes.

I groaned and fell back on my bed. "This is hopeless. Four years," I repeated, covering my face. Muffled by my hands, I said, "Why don't you just marry the Prince instead, and I'll be your handmaiden?"

"About that. I wanted to talk to you last night, but you were already in bed," I heard her say.

I pulled my hands away from my face and shot up, looking at her. "What?" I asked, as she blushed. "You've got gossip, I can tell. What is it?"

"Well, may I take the evening off?" she requested.

I stood and stepped toward her. "Most likely," I said. "But only if you tell me why."

Blushing again, she smiled and said, "Lord Ozera has asked me to accompany him into town for dinner and a play at the theater."

"Lord Ozera?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "You mean Christian? My Christian?"

She nodded her head, and I saw her eyes light up. "Oh, Rose, he was so sweet to me yesterday! He showed me the gardens, took me to the stables so I could see Blestet again and he showed me the royal galleries. I got to see the portrait of my family. He's just like we are, like I am. He's alone in this world, too. Well, except for his Aunt Tasha, whom I got to meet as well. She's so nice. She said she can't wait to meet you and thank you for saving Christian's life." She was borderline rambling at this point, but it was adorable to see her so excited.

"Of course you can go, Liss," I said, smiling at her. "But on one condition." She looked at me, cocking her head to the side before she nodded, waiting. "You have to tell me all about it, every single little detail, when you get back."

She beamed and nodded quickly, hugging me tightly. "I will, I promise!" She pulled away and looked at the clock. "I need to get ready!"

"Have fun," I said, letting her go and scooting her toward the door. She opened it and turned to look at me, smiling radiantly, before running off toward her room. The door shut with a soft click, and I sat down in front of the table setting again, looking at it with disdain. I sighed, staring at the abundant utensils in front of me. As much as I wanted to flip the whole table over and say 'to hell with it', I knew I had to do this. I got up and walked over to my bed, picking up the hand drawn diagram off of my nightstand before looking at it. I glanced from it to the table, the exact same image spread out in real life, down to every last glass, napkin and spoon. I closed my eyes and sighed, resigning myself to a night in my suite, studying the wretched thing. I heard a soft knock on the door, and opened it to reveal Adrian, leaning against the door frame.

"Adrian," I said, smiling. I curtsied, emulating how Avery had shown me the day before. I heard him chuckling and looked up into his handsome face. "What? Am I still doing it wrong?"

"No," he said, still laughing lightly. "It's actually a vast improvement from the first curtsy you gave me. Though, I thought I asked you not to curtsy to me anymore."

I blushed. "Lady Avery told me I'm to curtsy to anyone superior to me. That includes you."

"Well, who are you going to take an order from, Lady Avery or the Crown Prince?" he said, winking at me. "Now are you going to invite us inside," he asked, pulling a bottle of red wine from behind his back, waving it, "or, am I going to have to find someone else to enjoy this with?"

My eyes widened, and I stepped back, allowing him inside. As I shut the door, I heard him let out a low whistle. I turned to face him. "Having a fancy dinner for one tonight?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and walked past the table, sitting on the couch in the sitting area, glaring at the table. "Your mother told me I have to have all of this memorized by your aunt's birthday," I said, shifting my gaze to look into his green eyes. "Which," I continued, "I'm pretty sure is impossible." He chuckled at me, grabbing two of the glasses off the table. "Hey!" I protested. "I have to memorize that."

He sat down next to me, setting the wine and glasses on the table in front of us. "I'll make you a deal," he said, pouring wine in both of the glasses. "If I can help you learn this horrible table setting, you have to play a game with me." He handed me a glass and took a sip of his own. He looked at me, waiting for my response. I looked down at the glass in my hand. I'd never had alcohol before, but I knew how out of control the men in my village had gotten at night. It made me hesitant.

"What game?" I asked, looking up at him. He was smirking, and damn him, if he didn't look handsome with that mischievous look adorning his face.

"That," Adrian started, "is something you'll find out when the time comes." I rolled my eyes at him and heard him softly chuckle. I looked at the table and back to him, before I motioned him forward. He stood and held his hand out in front of me, helping me up off the couch. We walked over to the table, and he put our glasses back in their rightful places. He rubbed his hands together and stepped behind me. He wrapped his arms around the front of my body and grasped my wrists, slipping up to my hands, forming them until my pointer fingers and thumbs were touching, but the rest of my fingers were straight. I felt his chin on my shoulder, and I turned to look into his emerald eyes. "What do your hands look like?" he asked.

I looked back at them and shrugged. I pulled them to my eyes and asked, "Glasses?" I felt his chest rumble against my back as he laughed.

"Well, I guess you're not wrong, but not what I was going for." He slid his finger on the edge of my finger and thumb of my left hand. "This is a 'b'." He said, before mirroring the same motion on my other hand. "And this is a 'd'."

I looked at them again and conceded. He was right. "Okay," I said. "How does this help with my place setting lesson?"

He pointed my wrists down at the table. "'B' stands for 'bread'." He said, stepping around me to point at the small plate to the upper left of the large plate in front of me. "This is your bread plate and knife. That is all you'll use them for."

I studied the small plate and its accompanying knife. Both were dainty. I nodded. "And what does the 'd' stand for? Dessert?"

He smiled and stepped to my other side. "Very close, but no." He picked up his wine glass. "'D' stands for 'drinks'," he said, as he took another large gulp of wine.

I looked at the three glasses on the table as he set his wine back down. I pointed at each of them. "Does the order matter?"

"Yes," he said, matter-of-factly. He pointed at the goblet almost directly in front of the main plate. "This is your water glass. It will always be closest to your food for easy access. The next two are your wine glasses."

I interrupted him. "Glasses? Why two?"

"One for red wine and one for white," he pointed at them respectively. "The red wine is the larger of the two and the white is the smaller. Just remember, red wine is much bolder, while white is subtler, so it needs a bigger glass. These two," he said, touching the rims of two much smaller and daintier glasses, "aren't at typical dinner parties, so you won't have to worry about them as often. But they're for sherry or brandy and champagne. Lastly, the cup and saucer are for tea, which is usually served with dessert."

I looked at the glasses and ticked them off, trying to remember. I tapped the lip of each as I went. "Water, red wine, white wine, champagne, sherry, tea." I turned to look at him and saw he was smiling at me.

"Very good," he smiled. He kisses my cheek and I began to blush. Before I could say anything, he moved on. "Next, is forks."

I groaned. This is what I'd been stuck on. I picked up one of the offending objects. "I'm sorry, but why does someone need 3 forks at dinner? Why not just use one?"

He laughed and shook his head as he took another drink from his wine. He kept it in his hand this time, I surmised because we were done with the lesson about stemware. "Forks is a mnemonic device to memorize the order. It just so happens that the 'F'," he said, taking it out of my hand and pointing it at me, "also stands for 'fork'. The 'F' in fork is the letter farthest to the left, just like the forks are the item farthest to the left on the table."

"What about the napkin?" I asked, pointing to the piece of cloth, farther left than the forks. He sighed and pushed my shoulders down until I sat in the chair. He picked up the napkin and draped it over my lap.

"You were saying?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at him. "As soon as you reach the table, you'll place your napkin in your lap, so the forks will be the left most item."

I nodded. "What does the 'O' stand for?" I asked. He lifted up the smaller plate resting on top of the main plate. He held it out, facing me, and drew a circle around the edge. I fought the urge to roll my eyes again. "I see what you did there." He smirked, looking proud of himself.

"This is the salad plate. It rests on top of your service plate, which is what your main dish is served upon." He set it back down carefully. "The 'R' stands for 'remaining', as in the remaining utensils." He pointed to the small fork and spoon placed above the plates. "These are your dessert utensils. By the time you use these, they'll be all that _remains_ on the table," Adrian said, stressing the word. I just looked up at him, before I began to laugh. He smirked before taking another swig of his wine.

I looked at the table. "Let me see if I can figure out the rest," I said, hoping it was as obvious as it seemed. "'K' is for 'knife', and 'S' is 'spoons'?" I asked, touching each utensil as I went.

He smiled at me. "Beautiful and smart. Damn, I'm a lucky man." He winked at me and I blushed again, remembering the kiss on the cheek from earlier. "Now, it's game time," said Adrian, smiling and holding his hand out for me. I took it as he lifted me to my feet. He picked up our wine glasses, and I followed him back to the couch. "We're going to play 20 questions," he said, sitting down on one end of the small couch. I laughed, throwing myself on the other side.

"That's your game?" I laughed, gingerly lifting the glass to my lips, taking a small sip. The dark liquid was sweet, rich and bitter all at the same. I licked my lips, pausing to savor the flavor on my tongue. I took another drink, bigger this time. "I thought you'd want to play a drinking game that would embarrass me or something."

He laughed. "No, just want to get to know my wife." He smiled at me, his green eyes sparkling. I felt warm inside. I was comfortable with him, and I liked being with him.

"Fine," I smiled. "You first, Your Highness," I said, making a big show of bowing to him from the couch.

"Hmm…" he mused. "What's your favorite dessert?"

We went back and forth, asking each other questions, until the wine bottle was long empty. We inquired about our childhoods, which were starkly different. He asked about my father. I asked about growing up in the palace. We talked about our fears, dreams and growing up as only children. He told me about the baby Daniella had lost when he was five years old and how excited he had been to be an older brother. I told him about the time I got sick when I was 14 from eating out of the trashcan of the village pub and was all alone, in bed for a week, wishing for death. He told me about the fever he had when he was six, that everyone was convinced would claim him. We talked about religion and art, what we believed and what we didn't.

"Alright, here's a good one," Adrian said. He was sitting with my feet in his lap. He leaned forward, closer to my face. I could smell the wine on his breath, but knew mine was no better. "What's the strangest scar on your body, and how did you get it?" I opened my mouth, but hesitated. Adrian noticed and tickled my foot, making me squirm. "Oh, come on, Little Princess," he said, using the endearing nickname. "You show me yours, I'll show you mine," he said, waggling his eyebrows in jest. Smiling, he untucked his shirt from the right side of his body. He lifted it, revealing milky, white skin, rippled with lean muscle. My eyes went wide. There was one long, rugged scar running from just under his belly button to his ribs. I touched the puckered skin.

"What happened?" I asked, running my finger from one end to the other. I looked up at his face. He was looking at the wall, but there was a haunted look there. I could tell that he wasn't with me right now, but reliving whatever had happened.

"Belikov and I were off hunting. I was maybe, I don't know, thirteen years old. He would have been sixteen. It was our first solo hunt, without my father or Dimitri's brother." I flinched at the mention of Ivan, but Adrian didn't notice. "We were about five miles from the castle when a storm began to roll in. We were stubborn and didn't want to come back without a kill, so we pressed on. After about 15 minutes, the dogs took off, catching the scent of a prey, and we followed. We were riding alongside an old, abandoned farm when the first, big roll of thunder sounded. My horse spooked and threw me. I landed on an iron fence, where it pierced my side, pulling across my abdomen as I fell." I gasped and covered my mouth as he spoke. He looked down at me and removed my hand from my mouth, taking it in his own. "I don't remember much after my horse bucked, but Dimitri has a hard time talking about it. He's told me he could see my insides trying to come out when he pulled me off the fence. He took off his own cloak and tied it around my body and carried me atop his own horse, back to the palace as quickly as he could. I was unconscious for days, but when I woke up, Dimitri was next to my bed in a soldier's uniform. He hadn't left my side once, except to report to my father. He made him a soldier that day, two years earlier than the law would allow. All Dimitri had ever wanted was to serve like his brother." Adrian looked down at me, a playful smile breaking across his somber face. "I like to tell people he's only a member of the King's Guard because of me."

I just looked at him. "Wow," I breathed out. "I'm honestly surprised you're alive."

He chuckled. "You're telling me. Now," he said, letting go of my hand and scooting back over to his spot. "You show me yours."

I took a deep breath and stood. Walking to the wash basin in front of the mirror, I dipped a rag in the cool water before ringing it out. I reached behind my back and unzipped the top part of my dress, letting it fall off my left shoulder. I picked up the rag and began to wash the side of my neck and shoulder, the water running down my back. The makeup covering the red, patchy discoloration was easily washed away, leaving behind the skin that never quite looked like the rest. I couldn't face Adrian. "This is my scar," I whispered. Lissa was able to cover it with makeup, so I never had to worry about anyone in the palace seeing it. Showing this to Adrian made me feel so vulnerable.

He appeared in the mirror behind me. I closed my eyes and felt his fingers graze the marred flesh. "What happened?" he asked, following the trail of water droplets down my back, where more and more disfigured skin was visible. It ran all the way down my back, stopping just shy of my waistline.

"I wish I knew," I said, opening my eyes and looking at him. "I've had this as long as I can remember. My father said it was an accident, but could never explain what had happened."

"This is very clearly a burn," he said, slowly zipping up the dress. "But it doesn't look like any burn I've ever seen." I averted my eyes and pulled my hair over the left side of my neck, hiding the ugly flesh. "No," he said, pulling my hair over my shoulder, so it fell down my back. "You shouldn't have to hide who you are. This burn is a part of you. I want to know all of you."

I turned to face him, caught off guard by the severity in his voice. I looked up into his beautiful, green eyes. He began to lean down, bringing his face closer to mine. I closed my eyes, waiting to feel his lips.

The clock sounded, announcing it was midnight. Adrian sighed and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I should go." With that, he stepped back, collecting the empty wine bottle and glasses. He walked to the door, one hand on the knob. Turning back to look at me, he said, "Goodnight, Little Princess. I'll see you in my dreams." He left, leaving me alone with nothing but the chiming of the clock.

I slipped my dress off and put on a nightgown, before washing my face and slipping into bed. I touched my lips, wondering what it would have felt like to have Adrian's against mine. I thought about all of the laughs we'd shared tonight and how easy it was to be myself. After a little bit, I heard the clock strike an hour past midnight. I groaned, thinking about how hard it would be to arise in just four short hours to meet with Dimitri.

 _Dimitri_ , I thought. Adrian had talked about Dimitri like he was his brother numerous times tonight. My thoughts trailed to the times Dmitri and I had been alone, and how close we had become, emotionally and physically.

I don't know when, but at some point, I drifted to sleep, dreaming of both brilliant, emerald eyes and warm, chocolate ones.

 _AN-_

 _I know, I'm a day late. Don't kill me, please. Nothing like some good Rose/Adrian fluff to make up for it though, right?_

 _So this week's question:_ _ **What do you do out in the real world?**_

 _I am an office assistant and a student. We all come from so many different places and there are so many different ages in this fandom that I'm curious!_

 _Until next time, lovelies!_


	14. Author's Note

Hello, sweet friends. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated and that when you finally get a notification, it's just an AN. I just wanted to thank everyone who's reached out to me in the past month or so, just to check on me and see how I'm doing. The good news is I'm okay, just dealing with some things in my personal life that has set me into a pretty dark place most of the time. The bad news is, because of this, I'm putting Torn on a temporary hiatus. I have some things I need to deal with and take care of, and rather than have all of you waiting and wondering when exactly I'm going to update again, I'm just going to pull away from this story for a little bit. I only anticipate it will be a couple of months, but as always, life will do what it wants, so we'll have to wait and see.

On a positive note, I'm not giving up writing and all together. I'm going to be working on a few one shots and short, multi-chaptered stories in the meantime, so you will still have material to look forward to.

As always, I want to give a big shout out to my beta, hbarker, for standing beside me through all of my struggles and listening to my whining, even when it's not related to my story at all. And to Lea0014, thank you for being such a great support system and friend, and for always reaching out to me to check on me.

I promise, I'm not giving up on this story, so please, don't give up on me. I'll be back at it soon. I've just got to take care of some demons in my personal life first.

Shelby


	15. Author's Note, Part 2

Hello, my wonderful readers!

I know, I know. It's been a long 5 months and I am so sorry about that. I really am. I just wanted to let you all know that I _have not_ forgotten about this story! I took on a temporary position at work with extra responsibilities back in September, which became a bit more permanent than it was supposed to. Long story short, I'm still working that same position, but I'm trying to get back into writing! With my trusty best friend by my side and my amazing beta (hbarker, I haven't forgotten you either, you spectacular woman), I'm hoping to finish up chapter 13 and get it out to you guys by the middle of February!

Thank you for holding on this long, and I promise, anything you read from here on out will be 100% worth the wait!

-Shelby


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